Sun 16 January 2022:
Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, was damaged “significantly” by a powerful volcanic eruption that triggered a tsunami, according to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, but there have been no reports of injuries or deaths as of yet.
On Sunday, Ardern’s remarks came as Pacific nations and humanitarian organizations struggled to establish contact with Tonga, a day after the disasters cut telephone and internet connections, rendering its 105,000 residents virtually unreachable.
Ardern stated that her government has contacted the New Zealand embassy in Nuku’alofa.
“The tsunami has had a significant impact on the foreshore on the northern side of Nuku’alofa with boats and large boulders washed ashore,” she told reporters.
She said there were no official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga as of yet, although communications were “limited” and contact has not been established with coastal areas beyond the capital.
She added that New Zealand was not able to send a military surveillance flight over Tonga because the ash cloud was 19,000 metres (63,000 feet) high but they hoped to send the flight on Monday, followed by supply planes and navy ships.
In a tweet, New Zealand’s Defence Force stated that it was prepared to send a reconnaissance aircraft “as soon as atmospheric conditions allow.”
NEWS📢 We’re working hard to see how we can assist our Pacific neighbours after the volcanic eruption near #Tonga.
An @NZAirForce Orion aircraft is on stand-by to provide aerial surveillance as soon as atmospheric conditions allow. Flying conditions are currently hazardous. pic.twitter.com/BUzdEIGo3c
— NZ Defence Force (@NZDefenceForce) January 16, 2022
The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano has erupted on a regular basis for decades, but Saturday’s eruption was so loud that residents in Fiji, 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, and New Zealand, 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) away, said they heard it.
Satellite images captured the volcanic eruption as the explosion emitted plumes of smoke 20 kilometers (12 miles) above sea level.
The ash had darkened the sky over Tonga.
#Tonga tsunami alert as underwater volcano eruption causes large waves to hit island.#Tongaeruption pic.twitter.com/pCw6gbeWwK
— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) January 15, 2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter that he was “deeply concerned for the people of Tonga as they recover from the aftermath of a volcanic eruption and tsunami. The United States stands prepared to provide support to our Pacific neighbors.”
The US Geological Survey recorded Saturday’s eruptions as equivalent to a magnitude 5.8 earthquake at zero depth.
The eruptions triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, including in Samoa, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, Chile and the US Pacific Coast.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported waves of more than a metre hitting coastal areas and said authorities advised about 230,000 people living across eight prefectures to evacuate.
Waves of 1.74 metres (5.5 feet) were measured in Chile’s coastal town of Chanaral, while smaller waves were seen from Alaska to Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii reported that the threat from the eruption had passed by 03:00 GMT on Sunday.
New Zealand scientist Marco Brenna, a senior lecturer at Otago University’s School of Geology, described the eruption’s effect as “relatively mild,” but warned that another, more powerful eruption could not be ruled out.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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