Volcanic ash in Tonga spread, and the smell of sulfur could be smelled by Chinese people as far away as Sydney

Jimu news reporter Li Lili

According to a number of foreign media reports such as the New Zealand Herald and the New York Times, the volcanic eruption in Tonga has caused a large spread of volcanic ash, affecting fiji, Vanuatu and other neighboring countries, and even the Chinese in Sydney have told the Jimu news reporter that she has smelled the sulfur in the air.

Satellite image of a volcano erupting Image credit: Associated Press

At present, the volcanic eruption has damaged the submarine Internet cable, cutting off power and communications in Tonga, which is still out of contact with the outside world.

At the same time, the local water source is polluted by volcanic ash, and drinking water is affected.

Meteorologist Luis Fernandes said current satellite images showed ash covering the entire of Tonga, which now spread outward across the Pacific Ocean and has drifted to other Pacific island nations such as Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Samoa.

A netizen named Xiaowen photographed the scene of "dark clouds covering the sun" in Fiji. It was morning and the sun had come out, but it was obscured by large patches of volcanic ash. Xiaowen said that most of the time in the local area is sunny, but the cloudy days have lasted for many days, most likely caused by volcanic ash, and there is a sour smell in the air.

According to a number of foreign media reports, the atmosphere and sunrise landscape of some neighboring Pacific island countries have been affected. Fernandez believes that next, volcanic ash may also drift to parts of Australia.

A Chinese living in Sydney confirmed this to a reporter from Jimu News.

The Chinese live in Sydney's Inner West End, and her home is on the 7th floor. She said that at noon on January 16, local time, standing on the balcony, you can smell a continuous smell of sulfur rotten eggs, and the smell is very strong. She realized it was the smell of the volcano after the eruption.

According to her, residents of the nearby community also smelled this smell. She then drove out the door, and the smell became even stronger. It wasn't until I went south that the smell faded.

Due to the high concentration of dust in the Tonga air and the almost zero visibility of the aircraft, some aid country planes have been delayed in taking off.

At present, there are no casualties reported from the tonga eruption, but the waves caused by the volcano spread around the Pacific Ocean, also taking a toll on neighboring countries.

On a beach in Peru's Chiclayo district, on Saturday, local time, two women drowned while swimming when they were drowned by "unusually large" waves. Police believe the incident is related to the huge waves caused by the volcano.

The Tutukaka pier in northern New Zealand was also hit, with nearly 60 vessels damaged and about 12 sunk, losing about millions of dollars.

As a precautionary measure, authorities in Southern California shut down beaches and marinas.

In recent years, Tonga has experienced a series of natural disasters. In 2018, Category 5 Tropical Storm Gita destroyed more than 170 homes and killed two people. In 2020, Hurricane Harold caused about $111 million in damage and also caused extensive flooding.

For more exciting information, please download the "Jimu News" client in the application market, please do not reprint it without authorization, welcome to provide news clues, and pay as soon as you adopt it. 24-hour reporting hotline [phone].