Sunday, January 16, 2022

Pacific volcano: Ash-covered Tonga is like a moonscape say residents - BBC News

A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered tsunami waves has smothered the Pacific islands in ash, cut power and severed communications.



New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the tsunami wreaked "significant damage", washing boats ashore and battering beachside shops.

Information from Tonga is scarce but no deaths have been reported so far.

Locals say Tonga looks "like a moonscape" after being coated in a thick layer of volcanic ash.

The dust was reportedly contaminating water supplies and making fresh water a vital need, Ms Ardern said.

Aid charities said the ash and smoke had prompted authorities to tell people to drink bottled water and wear face masks to protect their lungs...

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1 comment:

  1. Tonga is calling for “immediate aid”, with an urgent need for fresh water and food, as it assesses the damage caused by Saturday’s eruption of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai.

    The volcano exploded in a massive eruption on Saturday – said to be the biggest since Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 – triggering a tsunami and blanketing the Pacific island nation in volcanic ash.

    “Communications remain down and the full extent of the harm to lives and property is currently unknown. What we do know is that Tonga needs immediate assistance to provide its citizens with fresh drinking water and food,” Parliament Speaker Lord Fakafanua said in a statement shared on social media.

    The appeal came as experts detected another eruption at Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai.

    The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre said the volcano erupted at 22:10 GMT on Sunday, with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre saying it had detected large waves in the area: “This might be from another explosion of Tonga volcano. There are no known earthquakes of significant size to generate this wave.”

    Australia and New Zealand on Monday sent surveillance flights to assess the damage in Tonga and said they were coordinating with the United States, France and other countries on the humanitarian response.

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