Volcano eruption: Tonga reports deaths and damage – Gallery
Days after the massive eruption of a submarine volcano, information about the extent of the damage seeps out of the South Seas archipelago of Tonga: three dead and up to 15 meter high tsunami waves have been confirmed.
The government of the island kingdom has issued a first official statement since the Hunga-Tonga eruption -Hunga-Ha’apai in the Pacific confirmed at least three dead. The office of Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni announced on Tuesday that there were two Tongans and one British citizen. Communications links have been affected since the eruption on Saturday because a key undersea cable was severed by the seaquake. Work is being done to restore services – including the internet, it said.
The Government of Tonga spoke of an “unprecedented catastrophe”. Accordingly, injuries were also reported. The eruption created a volcanic ash cloud that covered all of Tonga’s islands. The eruption also caused tsunami waves up to 15 meters high. “Although the tsunami warning has been lifted and volcanic activity has decreased significantly, monitoring will continue,” it said.
Tonga volcanic eruptionKeystone
The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai had thrown a gigantic cloud of ash and gas kilometers high over the weekend and triggered tsunami waves that are still felt in Japan, Alaska and South America the coasts sloshed. Satellite images showed spectacular images of the eruption, which experts say was probably the strongest in the world since Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991. The pressure wave of the volcanic eruption was even recorded by measuring devices from the German Weather Service (DWD) over Germany.
The Untersee colossus, which is 1800 meters high and 20 kilometers wide under the rising to the surface of the water is just 40 miles north of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa. The Kingdom of Tonga has around 107,000 inhabitants.
On the island of Mango, all the houses have been destroyed
According to government sources, Tonga’s navy brought vital supplies to some islands. On the low-lying island of Mango with around 36 residents, from which an emergency signal was received, all houses were destroyed. Two houses remained on Fonoifua. The residents of the two islands, as well as ‘Atata, would be taken to safety by the navy. The ash and damage to the piers made sea and air transport difficult. So far, no contact has been made with the northernmost island chain of Niua. Due to the distance to the volcano, however, it was considered less endangered.
This is how tsunamis form
It all starts with sudden movements on the sea floor, caused by an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. For a tsunami to occur, an earthquake of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale is required.
15.01.2022
«Communication continues to be the biggest problem, since the internet and international telephone lines are always are still out of service,” said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “Overall, there seems to be considerable damage to the infrastructure around the main island of Tongatapu,” OCHA reported. Beaches, houses and hotels – especially in the west of the island – are also said to be affected.
The New Zealand government had initially confirmed two deaths, citing the police in Tonga. One of the victims is a 50-year-old British woman who was hit by a tidal wave while trying to save her dogs, her brother confirmed to the British broadcaster BBC. The woman ran an animal shelter in Tonga. Tonga’s government said a 65-year-old woman from Mango Island and a 49-year-old woman from Nomuka Island had died.
New Zealand sends ships with water and relief supplies
New Zealand wanted two ships on Tuesday with relief supplies to Tonga, 2300 kilometers away. A formal request for help is still pending, but the New Zealand government wants to send out the ships “HMNZS Wellington” and “HMNZS Aotearoa” because they needed three days to reach the affected region, it said.
One of the ships is supposed to transport urgently needed drinking water, because the water in Tonga is polluted by ash. “Water is Tonga’s top priority at this stage and HMNZS Aotearoa can transport 250,000 liters and produce 70,000 liters per day through a desalination plant,” Defense Minister Peeni Henare said. A ship should also depart from Brisbane, Australia, on Wednesday. According to the AAP news agency, the “HMAS Adelaide” will have humanitarian aid, medical professionals and helicopters on board.
Airport out of order due to ash layer
On Monday, both neighboring countries had sent planes to Tonga to to survey the situation from the air. The armed forces released footage showing colorless landscapes under a thick layer of ash. Machines cannot currently land in the capital because the airport must first be cleared of the ashes.
According to experts, it is difficult to assess whether the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai, which has been active again since December, will now calm down. However, the Tongans would probably have to brace themselves for further eruptions, Australian broadcaster ABC quoted geochemist Oliver Nebel from the renowned Monash University in Melbourne as saying on Tuesday. “I think it will erupt again in the coming days, weeks or months.” However, it cannot be predicted whether this will happen with the same intensity – because nobody knows how much magma is still in the magma chamber in the earth’s crust.
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