Aussies fleeing Vanuatu speak of terrifying scenes on the island after deadly 7.3 magnitude earthquake

An emotional Gold Coast mother has spoken of her terrifying experience amid the deadly Vanuatu earthquake, saying she now just needed to get her children home.

On Thursday 136 Australians returned home on two RAAF planes following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake, which has devastated the holiday island’s capital of Port Vila.

The worst earthquake to hit the Pacific island nation in more than a century caused widespread destruction and triggered landslides and tsunami warnings.

The death toll stands at 14 and at least 200 people have been injured.

Chantel Mara and her husband and children, who had been holidaying in Vanuatu, were among the Australians who landed at Brisbane Airport on Friday and spoke to Sunrise reporter Georgie Costi about the urgency of getting her children back on home soil.

“It feels so good to be home — a lot of people over there weren’t so lucky,” she said, wiping tears away from her eyes.

“Just to get the kids home. I had to get the kids home.

“We were in a shop when it happened, it threw my son and hubby on the road.

“There’s a lot of people still under rubble that has collapsed ... it’s very bad.”

Mara said the aftershocks were also terrifying and the family had been desperate to get out of Port Vila.

“The last two mornings we woke up at 4.50am, and 5.20am to another earthquake happening ... we all jumped out of bed and ran,” she said.

Tourist Shane Cooke was also in Port Vila when the earthquake hit.

“I watched buildings come down around me and people start screaming and running — and I had no idea what to do,” Cooke said, clearly shaken.

“I saw someone get crushed. It was horrific.

“Everyone started yelling ‘Tsunami!’ so we had to run up a giant hill.”

Cook described waiting for hours in uncertainty.

“We literally sat on the top of the hill for about five-and-a-half hours until someone came to us and gave us some information to go to the Australian High Commission,” he said.

Emeren Chiana was on a family holiday and due to celebrate her cousin’s wedding on Saturday.

She was at Vanuatu’s famed Blue Lagoon when the quake hit.

“Two of my cousins were actually on a tree trying to jump off into the lagoon and I had a cousin actually in the lagoon,” she said.

“We were worried about all the little kids.

“The Blue Lagoon tuned brown in, like, probably five seconds.”

With roads blocked by landslides, Chiana struggled to return to her hotel.

She then found homes near her grandmother’s house under water.

“I still have family stuck over there,” an emotional Chiana said.

“My grandma, my aunt and other cousins are there ... their homes were under water.”

“I was the last person allowed on that flight.”

Costi described how fleeing Aussies were dancing and taking selfies on the tarmac, clearly happy to be back home.

“The pure joy and sheer gratitude was just so clear,” Costi said of the airport scenes.

“Some of the passengers were dancing and spinning. They were taking selfies on the plane, just so thankful they were able to escape.”

Authorities in Vanuatu have now issued a low-to-medium risk of a cyclone, saying rain could cause further landslides — adding greater urgency to recovery efforts.

The Australian government has sent search-and-rescue teams to boost the disaster recovery effort in Vanuatu.

— With AAP