After the eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha??apai and the subsequent tsunami on the islands of Tonga, a picture of the consequences of the natural disaster is gradually emerging. In an initial statement, the government reported three deaths and several injured.
Images taken by New Zealand Defense Force reconnaissance aircraft showed “alarming” scenes of a destroyed village on Mango Island and missing buildings on nearby Atata Island, Tonga’s Deputy Ambassador to Australia, Curtis Tušihalangingie, said.
Communication links with the islands of the archipelago are further affected because a key undersea cable was severed by the seaquake. The UN emergency aid office OCHA said there was no contact specifically with the Ha??apai archipelago. According to OCHA, at least 50 houses have been destroyed and 100 damaged in the South Seas archipelago. Severe damage near the coast was reported from the capital, Nuku??alofa.
A thick layer of ash at the capital’s airport is currently making it impossible for aid flights from New Zealand and Australia to land. The ashes must first be cleared away before machines can land. Therefore, New Zealand first sent ships with relief supplies to Tonga, 2400 kilometers away. Defense Secretary Peeni Henare said: “Water is the top priority at this stage.” Australia also dispatched ships.
“No contact yet”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make any contact yet,” says Herwig Haunschmid. The management consultant from Katsdorf has owned a holiday resort with five bungalows and a restaurant on the island of Vava??u since 2016. However, he is optimistic that the natural catastrophe on the archipelago did not end well with his resort. “A direct impact of the tsunami wave on Vava??u is not possible,” he says and hopes that the neighboring village, where his employees live, has also been spared. Holidaymakers cannot stay in Tonga at the moment – due to Corona, entries are prohibited until March.
Remote island kingdom
Tonga is made up of 169 islands stretching in a north-south line for 800 kilometers in the South Pacific. Only part of the islands are inhabited. The country has 105,000 inhabitants. About as many Tongans live abroad, most of them in New Zealand, Australia and the USA. With their transfers home, they support the country’s economy.
Source: Nachrichten
