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Communications with the island nation are being restored as the aid response begins to reach affected populations. Chris McCall reports.
News from the Tonga Red Cross Society has remained stuck for days--suspended in cyberspace--ever since Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai exploded in the world's biggest volcanic eruption for three decades, cutting off a country in crisis from the rest of the world. The ominous last entry on its Facebook page read: "A tsunami warning is now in force for all of Tonga".
With partial communications restored, witnesses described apocalyptic scenes on Jan 15. Tongans are used to tropical cyclones, but not volcanic eruptions. Rising from the Pacific Ocean about 60 km from the capital Nuku'alofa, the ash cloud was visible from the main island of Tongatapu. The ash then rained down, covering houses, polluting water supplies, and leaving problems that will haunt Tonga for years. The subsequent tsunami was up to 15 m high. The explosion has been described as deafening, like a cannon, the loudest noise ever heard.
"It looked like an atom bomb, with dust, the big smoke coming up in the sky", Sione Taumoefolau, secretary-general of the Tonga Red Cross, told The Lancet by telephone. He said the Red Cross had been involved in distributing water and providing tented accommodation for around 100-200 families.
By severing Tonga's main internet cable, the eruption left a nation of more than 100 000 people completely isolated. The huge expatriate Tongan communities in Australia and New Zealand had no way to contact their families. For days, the best pictures available were satellite images. Fortunately, many people reached high ground before the tsunami hit. The number of confirmed dead remains at three, although according to WHO, about 84 000 people have been badly affected...
Language: en |