Communication Lines Are Still Cut Off, The Indonesian Embassy In Wellington Continues To Try To Contact Five Indonesian Citizens In Tonga

Aerial photo of Tonga after the volcanic eruption and tsunami from New Zealand's P3 surveillance plane. (Wikimedia Commons/NZ Defense Force)

JAKARTA - The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Wellington, Zealand continues to try to contact five Indonesian citizens (WNI) who are in Tonga, following the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha'apao underwater volcano and the tsunami on January 15, 2022.

The Embassy of Tonga in Tokyo, via its Twitter account (@TongaEmbTokyo), has released a press release from the office of the Prime Minister of Tonga regarding the first official update after the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha'apao underwater volcano on January 15, 2022.

The Tongan government confirmed that three people had died, namely a 65-year-old British citizen living on Mango Island, and two Tongan nationals, one of whom was a 49-year-old man living on Nomuka Island. There are also a number of victims who suffered injuries whose nationals are not yet known.

The volcanic eruption caused a cluster of islands in Tonga to be covered in volcanic ash and a 15 meter high tsunami wave hit the west coast of Tongatapu, 'Eua, and Ha'apai islands. A preliminary damage assessment is being carried out by the National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) of the Government of Tonga.

"Entering the 4th day after the eruption, the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington continues to try to contact five Indonesian citizens who are known to be in Tonga at the time of the incident," said the Indonesian Embassy in Wellingtong in a written statement Wednesday, January 19.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Wellington has also intensively communicated with the New Zealand Government, the Tongan Consul in Auckland and the Tongan High Commission in Canberra, Australia to seek information on the condition of Indonesian citizens in Tonga," continued the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington.

"Communication lines are also confirmed to have been cut off, including internet connections due to damage to the fiber optic cable network," the statement said.

The Indonesian Embassy in Wellington added that if there are members of the public who have direct information about the whereabouts of Indonesian citizens in Tonga, they can contact the hotline of the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington at [phone]. Other information can also be submitted via email to the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington, namely [email protected].