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

The government's disaster management office said early Wednesday that 14 deaths were confirmed, but hours later said nine had been verified by the main hospital. The number was "expected to increase" as people remained trapped in fallen buildings, a spokesperson said. About 200 people have been treated for injuries.

Frantic rescue efforts that began at flattened buildings after the quake hit early Tuesday afternoon continued 30 hours later, with dozens working in dust and heat with little water to seek those yelling for help inside. A few more survivors were extracted from the rubble of downtown buildings in Port Vila, also the country's largest city, while others remained trapped and some were found dead.

A near-total telecommunications collapse meant people struggled to confirm their relatives' safety. Some providers began to reestablish phone service but connections were patchy.

Internet service had not been restored because the submarine cable supplying it was damaged, the operator said.

The earthquake hit at a depth of 35 miles and was centered 19 miles west of the capital of Vanuatu, a group of 80 islands home to about 330,000 people. A tsunami warning was called off less than two hours after the quake, but dozens of large aftershocks continued to rattle the country.

The capital's main medical facility, Vila Central Hospital, was badly damaged, and patients were moved to a military camp. Clement Chipokolo, Vanuatu country director at the Christian relief agency World Vision, said health care services, already strained before the quake, were overwhelmed.

While power was out in swathes of Port Vila, the biggest fear among aid agencies was the lack of water. Two large reservoirs serving the capital were totally decimated, the National Disaster Management Office said. Resident Milroy Cainton said people were joining large lines to buy water in stores, but could only purchase two or four bottles at a time.

UNICEF was recording a rise in diarrhea among children, a sign that they had begun to drink tainted water, said the chief of the Vanuatu office, Eric Durpaire.

At least 10 buildings sustained major damage, many in a busy downtown area full of lunchtime shoppers when the quake hit. An unknown number of people were trapped inside.

A building housing a number of diplomatic missions in Port Vila -- including those of the United States, Britain, France and New Zealand -- was destroyed, with a section of the building cleaving off and flattening the first floor. Windows were buckled and walls crumbled.

The U.S. State Department said its embassy staff was safe, but the building was no longer functional. The office opened in July as part of a push by the U.S. to expand its Pacific presence to counter China's influence in the region.

Damage to the seaport and airport is likely to hamper aid efforts and economic recovery in a country dependent on agricultural exports and tourism. The airport was closed to commercial flights for a further 72 hours from Wednesday.

But the runway was deemed functional for humanitarian flights by French engineers who arrived by helicopter. Military craft from Australia and New Zealand were due to begin arriving Wednesday night, carrying search and rescue personnel and equipment, as well as relief supplies.

-- Information for this article was contributed by Mayuko Ono, Rod McGuirk and Emily Wang of The Associated Press.