Tonga was virtually cut off from the rest of the world Jan. 17 after a massive volcanic blast that crippled communications with the Pacific Islands nation, and experts warned internet connection may not be fully restored for weeks.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano exploded Jan. 15, cloaking Tonga in ash, triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami and releasing shock waves that wrapped around the entire Earth.
Neighboring countries and international agencies were clambering to try to grasp the scale of the damage.
“The tsunami has had a significant impact on the foreshore on the northern side of Nuku’alofa with boats and large boulders washed ashore,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Jan. 16 after contact with the New Zealand embassy in Tonga.
“We know water is an immediate need,” Ardern said.
The volcanic blast seriously damaged the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa, and severed an undersea communications cable — which could take two weeks to restore.
The eruption triggered tsunamis across the Pacific with waves of 1.74 meters measured in Chanaral, Chile, more than 10,000 kilometers away, and smaller waves seen along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico. (AFP-Jiji)
毎週届く！
