Vanuatu earthquake death toll rises to 14

The death toll from an earthquake that struck Vanuatu on Tuesday has risen to 14, as search teams claw through piles of rubble in an attempt to locate survivors.

Two hundred others are being treated for injuries, with powerful aftershocks from the 7.3-magnitude tremor reported overnight.

The earthquake damaged buildings, including the embassies of the US, France, the UK and New Zealand. It also cut power and mobile services, BBC reports.

Vanuatu police say a seven-day state of emergency has been declared to limit the movement of the public while search and relief operations are underway.

Four of the fatalities died at hospital in the capital city of Port Vila, the government said. Six were from a landslide, while four were from a collapsed building, where the toll was expected to rise further.

Two of the fatalities were Chinese nationals, Chinese Ambassador to Vanuatu Li Minggang told state media.

An estimated 116,000 people could be affected by the worst impacts of the quake, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.