‘Much remains unknown’: Tonga still cut by volcanic eruptions | Earthquakes News

Suva (Fiji) – International support Tonga is on its way to the southern kingdom of the Pacific Ocean, where a huge underwater volcano erupted on Saturday.

The eruption Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano was recorded as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake by the US Tsunami Alert System, the largest in Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, and caused tsunami waves from Tonga to Peru, Ecuador and California.

Scientists estimated that the force was equivalent to 1,000 nuclear bombs in Hiroshima, the eruption was heard more than 750 kilometers (466 miles) away from Fiji.

The waves killed two people in Peru and caused minor damage in New Zealand and California.

The New Zealand High Commission of Tonga confirmed this on Monday significant damage it has affected the nation’s west coast, an area known for having several resorts, as well as the coastline of the capital Nuku’alofa.

No official reports of injuries or deaths have yet been reported in Tongan, with communications severely cut off. A British woman has been reported missing.

A thick layer of ash covers the capital, with land authorities working “with priority” to establish communication with the smaller islands.

It was the second volcanic eruption in less than a month, and Tongan officials said it was seven times stronger than the last eruption.

Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at the University of Auckland, Washington, DC, told National Public Radio that the eruption was very significant due to three main factors.

Cut from the outside

Adding to the anxiety of loved ones living abroad, Tongan communications they remain largely cut off from the outside world, with international telephone lines and the Internet still dead.

“The country’s only submarine internet cable connection to Fiji can’t work,” said Amanda Watson, a researcher at the Australian National University’s Department of Pacific Affairs at Al Jazeera.

“In 2019, Tonga had no internet service when the same submarine cable was damaged. It took about fifteen days to repair, and the repairs may take a similar amount of time this time,” Watson added.

“Today the people of Tonga are unable to communicate their needs or contact their foreign loved ones, and adding another layer of difficulty for so many.”

On Monday evening, New Zealand television confirmed that it would take several weeks for international telephone lines and Internet services to be reopened in Tongan after submarine cable assessments showed two interruptions; one of them was near the volcano.

There may be more delays if there are more eruptions or if the cable is found buried on the seabed.

Vapor, smoke and ash plumes can be seen 34 miles (63 km) below the coast of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa. [Lothar Slabon/EPA]

International support

Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights on Monday to assess damage to Tongan and said they were coordinating with the United States, France and other countries on the humanitarian response.

Australian Pacific Minister Zed Seselja said on Twitter on Monday evening that they were loading an RAAF plane into a shelter, kitchen and hygiene kits to help Tongans affected by the eruption and tsunami.

He added that Australia had pledged an initial $ 1 million to provide humanitarian assistance and emergency supplies to Tongan residents after the assessment team saw that the local Tongan airport was up and running.

Some observers have said that access to safe drinking water and safe food will be essential, as toxic ash poses a threat to public health.

The United Nations said its regional offices were closely monitoring the situation and were in a position to assist as needed.

“The UN family is ready to help the people of Tonga recover from the eruption of the volcano over the weekend and after the tsunami,” said Jonathan Veitch, coordinator of the UN headquarters in Al Jazeera Fiji.

“In close cooperation with the Tongan government and our regional and international partners, we are working with the government to ensure that our support is direct and effective.

Meanwhile, there has been widespread support from Tongan diaspora communities and others around the world, many of whom are eager to send donations to a disaster-stricken nation.

Speaking on Monday, Tongan Parliament Speaker Lord Fakafanua said more details about Tongan’s official disaster fund would be announced soon; emphasizing that all relief funds made must be “verified, transparent and lawful.”

“More eruptions are possible”

Following Saturday’s eruption, several volcanoes and geologists have quickly warned that Tonga has not overcome the worst of this crisis.

“A lot is unknown,” said Al Jazeera’s Judith Hubbard, a geologist at the Nanyang University of Technology in Singapore.

“There may be more eruptions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, but we don’t know when, how many or how big they will be. It is possible to say more when we can make assessments after the eruption of the building volcano, but that will be difficult because the volcano is flooded and the region is not safe ”.

Meanwhile, Tongans around the world are trying to be hopeful among the unknown.

In a video released on Monday, Princess Latufuipeka of Tonga – the daughter of King Tupou VI and the High Commissioner of Tonga, Australia – offered to boost the morale of her people:

“Let us establish ourselves in gratitude, faith, and protection from God,” he said gloomily.