On the main island of Tonga, in the capital’s Kolofo district, satellite images show a similar scenario, with trees and houses completely covered by volcanic debris. Some buildings appear to have collapsed and aid workers are currently concerned about water pollution and food security in the district.
Back and forth: SSatellite images of the main port in Nokuoloba, the capital of Tonga, show the impact of a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami.
But as Tonga’s first deaths in the natural disaster were confirmed and rescue efforts continued, aid workers warned that the extent of the actual devastation was unknown. Communications have been severely affected by the disaster – some small islands have been completely cut off.
Alexander Mathews, director of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Cross, said that apart from the ash, there was “massive coastal damage as a result of the tsunami wave”.
“We are particularly concerned about the low-lying islands near the eruption,” he added. “At the moment, we know very little.”
According to officials from several donor countries, humanitarian aid to the country has been hampered by ash on the runway of the capital’s airport.
New Zealand will send two Royal Navy ships to its fellow Pacific island nation on Tuesday, the country’s Defense Minister Beanie Henare said in a statement, adding that it would take three days to reach Tonga.
Two ships – including HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Aotearoa – will carry a Seaspride helicopter and humanitarian and disaster relief supplies, Beanie said.
“Water is a high priority for Tonga at this stage and the HMNZS Aotearoa can carry 250,000 liters and the desalination plant can produce 70,000 liters a day,” he added.
Significant damage has been reported throughout Tonga, home to more than 100,000 people, most of whom live on the main island of Tongatabu. According to Shyrana Ali, CEO of Save the Children Fiji, at least 100 homes across the archipelago have been damaged and at least 50 have been completely destroyed. But he added that the number could rise as rescue workers work to restore communication links.
“This is a unique crisis we face due to lack of communication … The biggest challenge at this stage is to get detailed information from the authorities and Tonga,” Ali said, adding that they expect to see water shortages. In the coming days.
An important underwater communication cable connecting Tonga to Fiji has been damaged and repairs are not expected to begin until February 1.
“This cable is essential for Tonga to have all digital connections with the rest of the world,” Dean Weverka, chief technology officer and executive vice president of operations at South Cross Cables, said Tuesday.
Deaths in Tonga
At least two people, including a British national, have been killed in Tonga after tsunami waves hit the roads, flooding residential communities and cutting off electricity.
The body of British woman Angela Clover was found after she was swept away by a tsunami, her brother Nick Ellini said in a statement Monday.
Clover, 50, who lives with her husband in the capital Nuku’aloba and runs an animal welfare charity, tried to rescue her dogs when the waves hit, Elini said.
“It was Angela’s dream to swim with the whales, and it was Tonga who gave her the opportunity to fulfill these dreams,” Ellini said.
According to experts, the eruption of Hanga Tonga-Hunga Habai on Saturday may be the largest volcanic eruption recorded since the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo in the Philippines.
Photos and videos immediately uploaded on social media showed people fleeing the tsunami, and the afternoon sky was already dark from the gray cloud. Boats and large boulders washed ashore in Nuku’aloba, damaging shops along the coast.
This volcanic eruption sits on the active Pacific Ring of Fire, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of the capital of Tonga.
It has been active since December 20, but was declared inactive on January 11, according to CNN subsidiary Radio New Zealand.
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