- Communications with the South Seas archipelago of Tonga are expected to remain disrupted for weeks following the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai subsea volcano.
- The New Zealand government announced that the important undersea cable, which is used to transmit almost all digital information, was broken in two places by the seaquake.
- Meanwhile, the bordering states of New Zealand and Australia are sending naval ships with relief supplies to the disaster area.
“US cable company SubCom advises it will take at least four weeks to repair Tonga’s cable link.” You know how important it is that people can stay connected, according to the mobile phone provider Digicel. “We are doing everything in our power to ensure that an international link with Tonga is re-established.” The cable repair ship “Reliance” is on its way to Tonga.
At least three people, including a British woman, were killed in the massive eruption on Saturday, according to the Tonga government. The kingdom in the Pacific with 107,000 inhabitants is covered with a layer of ash that has also polluted the drinking water.
Before – after: a comparison
A tsunami that hit even distant shores in Japan, Alaska, and South America caused significant damage to the islands. According to the government, all houses on the low-lying island of Mango with almost 40 residents, from which an emergency signal was received, were destroyed. Only two houses remained on Fonoifua.
Rising 1,800 meters from the sea floor and 20 kilometers wide, the submarine volcano is just 65 kilometers north of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa. Before the eruption, the caldera (cauldron) was just below the surface of the sea, with its center at a depth of 200 meters. So said Emily Lane, an expert in hydrodynamics at the New Zealand Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research.
The eruption in pictures
What the submarine volcano looks like after the eruption is so far unclear. After the eruption, there was little information from the Polynesian island nation, which is 2,300 kilometers northeast of New Zealand, for days.
help is on the way
However, Digicel has now set up a bridging system via satellite on the main island of Tongatapu. However, the connections are “limited and patchy”, they only cover ten percent of the usual capacity, it said.
Meanwhile, New Zealand sent two naval vessels with drinking water, diving teams, a helicopter and other supplies to Tonga. The local government approved the aid deliveries, it said.
Legend:
The “HMNZS Aotearoa” leaves the port of Auckland to deliver aid material to Tonga.
Reuters
The ships sailed on Tuesday and were due to arrive in the region on Friday. As soon as the airport has been cleared of the ash, an airplane should also bring other important aid supplies.
Australia also wants to send a ship. New Zealand also wanted to undertake another reconnaissance flight over the affected area. At the request of the Fiji government, the pilots were also to fly over the southern Lau Islands to check for possible tsunami damage.