Australia and New Zealand have stepped up their efforts to help the tsunami-hit Tonga

By Renju Jose and Praveen Menon

SYDNEY / WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights to Tonga on Monday to assess isolated damage from the world as a result of a tsunami and the eruption of an underwater volcano that covered the Pacific island with ash.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to help Tonga as soon as possible, but said the volcanic ash had hampered relief efforts.

“There have been a lot of challenges with the ash cloud and the disruption of communications, so we are working together to get as much support for Tonga as possible,” Morrison told 2GB radio on Monday.

Australian Pacific Minister Zed Seselja said initial reports did not suggest a massive death toll and that the airport “appears to be in relatively good condition” but that there was “significant damage” to roads and bridges.

Seselja said Australia was in contact with the United States, New Zealand, France and other countries to coordinate responses.

An underwater volcano in Tonga erupted on Saturday, causing a tsunami off the coast of Tonga and cutting off telephone and Internet lines across the island.

There are no official reports of any injuries or deaths in Tongan yet, but communications are still limited and coastal areas remain cut off.

Satellite images show that some of the outer islands are submerged in water.

A woman in the UK has reportedly gone missing after being cleaned up, media reports.

Angela Glover and her husband James, the owner of the Happy Sailor Tattoo in Nuku’alofa, went to pick up the dogs when the wave hit. James managed to hold on to a tree, but his wife, who also runs a dog rescue on the island, cleaned their dogs, TVNZ TVNZ reported. Several social media posts from family and friends have said they haven’t found it yet.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Sunday’s tsunami had a major impact https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-pm-ardern-says-tonga-eruption-hugely-concerning- 2022- 01-15 about infrastructure.

The Red Cross said it was mobilizing its regional network to respond to the worst volcanic eruptions it has experienced in decades in the Pacific Ocean.

“The Red Cross currently has enough relief supplies to help 1,200 families across the country, including canvas, blankets, kitchen utensils, shelter utensils and hygiene items,” said Katie Greenwood, head of the IFRC’s Pacific Delegation.

The agency said there are concerns that communities may have access to safe drinking water as a result of the flooding of salt water caused by tsunami waves and ash avalanches.

The shelter is also worrisome, especially for communities near the coast, he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter (NYSE 🙂 that the UN Pacific Office is in a position to provide assistance.

BLAST MASARRA

The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano has erupted regularly in recent decades, but the impact of Saturday’s eruption was felt far and wide in Fiji, New Zealand, the United States and Japan. Two people have drowned on a beach in northern Peru as a result of the tsunami.

About 26 hours after the eruption, nations thousands of miles west are covered in ash clouds of volcanic ash, a New Zealand weather forecaster said in a statement.

Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia are affected and the ash cloud is expected to spread to eastern Australia on Monday, he said.

Early data suggest the eruption was the largest eruption in Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines 30 years ago, volcanologist Shane Cronin, who lives in New Zealand, told Radio New Zealand.

“This is the eruption that is best seen from space,” Cronin said.

“The large, explosive side effects of the eruption suggest that it was probably the largest since Pinatubo erupted in 1991,” Cronin said.