Pacific countries and humanitarian organizations work to re-establish channels of communication with Tonga today, Sunday, after the tsunami caused by the huge volcanic eruption, from which telephone and internet connections were cut off, raising concerns about the situation prevailing in the small island country.
An underwater volcano in its archipelago Tonga erupted on Saturday, triggering a tsunami alert and evacuation orders in the coastal areas of Tonga and other South Pacific islands, where images on social media showed tidal waves crashing on homes along the coast.
Telephone and internet lines were “dead” at 18:40 (local time) on Saturday, leaving the approximately 105,000 inhabitants of Tonga virtually isolated, as any form of communication with the rest of the world was impossible.
The images are breathtaking
“The images from the eruption of the volcano near the Tongan Islands are extremely disturbing,” said Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, a country about 2,400 kilometers away. He added that the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs are making efforts to determine what is needed and how New Zealand can help.
The timelapse of the explosion from space
According to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are currently no reports of casualties, stressing that telecommunications are limited.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICFRC) office in Fiji said it was monitoring developments but had no information on disasters or casualties.
Citizens of the small island country, located in New Zealand, organized prayers for the safety of their families in Tonga.
The volcano has erupted several times in recent decades, but Saturday’s eruption was so powerful that even residents of remote Fiji and New Zealand said they heard it.
Satellite images captured the eruption of the volcano that sent clouds of smoke at a height of 20 kilometers above sea level. The sky over the Tongan Islands was darkened by volcanic ash.
The volcanic eruption triggered a series of tsunami warnings in various parts of the Pacific Ocean, from the United States to Japan.
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