They are shocking satellite imagery showing a huge section of a volcanic island near Tonga collapsed into the ocean just before it exploded on Saturday, leaving the entire Pacific at risk of a tsunami (which was finally confirmed) and the island nation largely isolated on Sunday.
Photographs of the uninhabited island of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai show that the middle third of the land mass “collapsed” under water by its force volcano 12 miles wide that exploded underwater.
The blast – which was heard as far as Alaska – sent clouds of smoke into the air about 12 miles above sea level and caused huge tsunami which were felt as far as North America and evacuations to many Pacific islands.
See the timelapse of the explosion
The number of victims is unknown
New Zealand authorities have sent an aircraft to assess the extent of the damage caused to the neighboring Tonga Islands following the massive volcanic eruption and tsunami that hit the country, at a time when the tiny Pacific nation may be left without telecommunications. for two weeks.
Saturday’s eruption was so powerful that it was heard as far away as Alaska, causing a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean that hit many countries from Japan to the United States. Two people drowned in Peru by unusual waves. More than 230,000 people have fled their homes in Japan.
New Zealand authorities have said the disaster has caused “significant damage” to the Tonga Islands, although no deaths or injuries have been reported in the archipelago so far.
“The tsunami has had a significant impact on the northern coastline of Nuqualofa, the capital of Tonga, with ships and large rocks falling to the shores,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
For his part, Australian Minister for the Pacific Zed Sicily said that, according to initial information, there are not many victims of the volcanic eruption and tsunami and added that the Australian police has visited the beaches of Tonga and has talked about serious property damage, with “houses thrown around”.
“We know there is significant damage,” he told an Australian radio station, noting that Tonga airport appeared to be in relatively good condition.
Sicilia added that a British woman was allegedly ignored.
Meanwhile, the deputy head of Tonga’s diplomatic mission in Australia, Curtis Tuchalangingye, called for patience as his country’s authorities assessed what kind of help they needed.
Tonga is also worried about the possibility of aid being introduced to the covid-19 epidemic on the island, which has not reported any cases so far.
“We do not want to cause a new wave, a covid-19 tsunami,” he said. Any aid sent to Tonga will be quarantined, he explained, and it is possible that foreign personnel will not be allowed to land on the island.
Cut off from the world
“Nuqualofa is covered by a thick layer of volcanic ash, but beyond that the situation is calm and stable,” Ardern said after contacting her country’s embassy in Tonga.
But the archipelago needs drinking water because “the ash contaminated it”.
At the same time, the archipelago remains cut off from the rest of the world, as telecommunications have been severely damaged.
“It may take up to two weeks for them (telecommunications) to recover. The nearest cable repair ship is in Port Moresby, “said Dean Weverka, director of the Southern Cross Cable Network, referring to the Papuan capital, New Guinea, more than 4,000 kilometers from Tonga.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai submarine volcano on an uninhabited island in the Tonga archipelago erupted on Saturday. Soon after, a huge cloud of volcanic ash formed and a big wave followed.
Waves 1.5 meters high hit the capital of Tonga, where residents rushed to higher altitudes, leaving behind flooded houses, while stones and ash fell from the sky.
Telephone lines and internet connection were cut off at around 6.40 p.m. local time on Saturday, making it virtually impossible to communicate with the 105,000 inhabitants of the island country.
“Deeply concerned by Tonga residents,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken wrote on Twitter. The head of the World Health Organization, Tantros, Antanom Gebregesus, said his organization was ready to “support the government and offer assistance”.
Unicef is also preparing to send emergency aid to Tonga in coordination with Australia and New Zealand.
Drowning in Peru
More than 10,000 kilometers away, in Peru, two women drowned on a beach in the Lampageque region of the north of the country due to the “unusual waves” caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga.
The volcanic eruption caused a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean, with waves measuring 1.74 meters high in Chile and smaller along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. Waves 1.2 meters high hit Japan.
The city of Santa Cruz in California was flooded by tidal waves caused by the tsunami, according to videos posted by the US Meteorological Agency.
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