Communication Is Still Disconnected, There Are No Official Reports Of Casualties And Damage Due To The Tsunami In Tonga

JAKARTA - Tsunami-hit Tonga remained largely unreachable on Sunday, with telephone and internet lines cut, with reports of damage and casualties not yet available.

An underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga erupted on Saturday, triggering a 1.2 meter high tsunami wave warning and evacuation orders on the coast of Tonga and several South Pacific islands, where footage on social media showed waves hitting coastal homes.

Internet and telephone lines were cut off at around 6:40pm. local time on Saturday, leaving the 105,000 residents on the islands virtually unreachable.

There have been no official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga, although communication is limited and contact has not been established with remote coastal areas outside the capital Nuku'alofa and closer to the volcano, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday, citing Reuters 17 January.

Tonga, an island nation of about 105,000 people, is located 2,383 kilometers (1,481 mi) northeast of New Zealand.

"Nuku'alofa is covered in thick plumes of volcanic ash, but otherwise it is calm and stable. There are parts of Tonga that we don't know about. We just haven't established communication yet," said PM Ardern.

Satellite images captured the volcanic eruption on Saturday, when the explosion sent plumes of smoke into the air and about 12 miles above sea level. The sky above Tonga was darkened by ashes.

Concern is growing among the Tongan community in New Zealand, desperate to make contact with their families back home. Several churches organize community prayer in Auckland and other cities.

"We pray God will help our country at this sad time. We hope everyone is safe," said Maikeli Atiola, Secretary of the Wesleyan Tonga Church in Auckland, Radio New Zealand reported.

PM Ardern said a major undersea communications cable had been impacted, possibly due to a loss of power. Electricity is being restored in some areas of the islands and local cell phones are slowly starting to work, he added.

An official damage assessment was not yet available, he said, but New Zealand's high commission on Nuku'alofa had told him the tsunami had a significant impact on the foreshore on Nuku'alofa's north side, with boats and boulders washed ashore.

"Shops along the coast have been damaged and significant cleaning will be required," said PM Ardern.

Australia said it would send a P8 reconnaissance plane to Tonga on Monday to assess damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, ports, and power lines, which will determine the next phase of the response effort. Meanwhile, in the United States, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said his country was ready to provide support.

It is known that the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano has been erupting regularly for the past few decades. However, Saturday's eruption was so loud that residents of faraway parts of Fiji and New Zealand said they heard it.

"My whole house was shaking," says Sanya Ruggiero, a Consultant Communications Consultant based in Suva, Fiji's capital, about 750 km from Tonga.

"My doors, my windows were rattling like hell. And my door wasn't even as bad as the others. Hundreds of people were running out of their homes," said Ruggiero, who consults with several agencies including the United Nations.

The rumblings and eruptions from the volcano continued throughout the night, Ruggiero said. Hundreds of people were moved to evacuation centers in Suva. Fiji Airways had to cancel all its flights due to the ash cloud.

"This is the worst disaster Tonga has ever experienced in living memory and recovery from this will take years," Ruggiero said.

Experts say falling ash can contaminate drinking water and cause breathing problems.

"Aid will be needed to restore drinking water supplies. Tongans should also remain vigilant against further eruptions and especially short-notice tsunamis and should avoid low-lying areas," said Shane Cronin, professor at the School of Environment, University of Auckland.

To note, the eight-minute eruption on Saturday triggered tsunami warnings and evacuations in several countries. The eruption caused flooding of parts of the coast of Alaska and California in the United States.

Flooding from tidal waves was also reported in Chile, some 10,000 kilometers away, and hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens were advised to evacuate as waves of more than one meter hit coastal areas.