Vanuatu’s capital was without water on Wednesday, a day after reservoirs were destroyed by a violent magnitude 7.3 earthquake that wrought havoc on the South Pacific island nation, with the number of people killed and injured expected to rise.

People remained trapped in a collapsed building in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on Wednesday a day after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific nation, killing 14 people including two Chinese nationals.

At least one person was killed after a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the main island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific on Tuesday, triggering landslips, flattening buildings and cutting power and communications.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Vanuatu has claimed the lives of at least 14 people in the capital city of Port Vila.