The 7.3-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 57 kilometres (35 miles), some 30 kilometres off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu's main island, at 12:47 pm (0147 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.
A 5.5-magnitude aftershock struck minutes after the main quake, followed by a series of lesser tremors over the following hours.
The ground floor of a four-storey block in Port Vila used by the US, French and other embassies was completely flattened, AFP photos showed.
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