Commercial flights had been set to resume on Sunday before a new earthquake struck the island nation. Aid efforts remained strained because of the difficulty accessing the Pacific island.

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flights have been returning Australian citizens from Vanuatu as part of the ongoing humanitarian mission in Port Vila. A total of 588 Australians have been brought to Brisbane on eight flights, with the final two flights scheduled for Sunday, Nine News reported.

The quake briefly prompted a tsunami alert for parts of Vanuatu, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System, which is part of the National Weather Service. As of 2:14 p.m. local time, U.S. officials said the threat had passed.

At least 10 buildings in Port Vila suffered significant damage, while a nearby landslide was responsible for at least six deaths, the Vanuatu government said.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the Vanuatu Islands on Sunday, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said, revising up its original figure from 6.1.

A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people.