A diplomat Tonga said that several of the country’s outer islands were badly damaged by the underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami, Tuesday (18/1). The disaster is also feared to kill and injure many people.
Images taken by the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) from a reconnaissance plane show entire villages destroyed on Mango Island.
In addition, several buildings were lost near Atata Island. There is also a picture showing a tarp for shelter installed on Mango Island.
This image from the NZDF was confirmed by the Deputy Chief of Mission in Australia, Curtis Tu’ihalangingie.
“People are panicking, people are running and injured,” said Tu’ihalangingie, quoted by Reuters.
“There could be more deaths and we just pray that’s not the case.”
“It is very worrying to see the potential for waves hitting Atata from one end to the other,” said Tu’ihalangingie again.
A Tongan police officer told the New Zealand High Commission the death toll was known to be at two. However, communications in the country are still cut off, leaving the exact figure of the death toll unclear.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja said Tongan officials hoped to evacuate isolated communities in difficult locations. Houses in the Ha’apai archipelago and several other outer islands were destroyed by the tsunami.
The United Nations (UN) previously reported a red flag in Ha’apai, where Mango is located.
According to the Tongan Navy’s information to the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA), the waves hit the area with a height of 5 to 10 meters.
Atata and Mango islands are 50 kilometers and 70 kilometers from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai mountains. The eruption that occurred on the mountain caused a tsunami wave in the Pacific Ocean.
This eruption was also heard up to 2,300 kilometers away in New Zealand. On the other hand, the islands of Atata and Mango have between 100 and 50 populations.
In addition to destroying buildings, volcanic ash generated by the eruption covered the islands.
Meanwhile, Fua’amotu International Airport, which is the country’s main airport, was still saved from the tsunami and eruption on Saturday (15/1). However, the aid still could not be delivered due to the ash rain that occurred.
Tongan officials told OCHA that clearing the airstrip could take days, and would be completed by Wednesday (19/1).
In addition, OCHA said residents on the west coast of Tongatapu island had been evacuated due to “significant damage.” Several government ministers also announced the public not to push prices too high, considering the region was threatened with supply shortages.
The Tongan government is also planning to seek formal assistance from neighboring countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, on Wednesday (19/1). Both countries have C-130 military transport aircraft on standby and carrying emergency supplies.
Tonga is a kingdom consisting of 176 islands, 36 of which are uninhabited. Tonga alone has a population of 104,494.
(pwn / bac)
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