Aftershocks felt in Vanuatu - three more islands report damage

A disaster assessment team has been sent to three islands in Vanuatu, which have reported damage after last weekend's earthquake and tsunami struck Pentecost Island.

Pacific correspondent Kevin McQuillan reports, the official death toll from the earthquake remains at ten:

Disaster control centre chair John Sese says the team will assess damage on the islands of Ambryn, Ape and Malacoula, and he expects their report later today. The provinces of Penama and Malempa have now been declared disaster areas and a request for assistance has gone to the UN Disaster Management Office in Suva. On Pentecost itself, aftershocks have continued all week, and although Mr Sese says their intensity is lessening, people remain scared. A lack of water and food continue to be the main problem. 200 tents have been flown to Pentecost, and while initial estimates were that one thousand people had lost their homes, Mr Sese says that figure is now probably too low.

=A9 1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation