On 14 and 15 January, the Aha Apai Island volcano erupted and triggered a tsunami on the islands of Tonga, which was severely affected by the double impact of volcanic ash and tsunami. On the 18th, the Tonga government issued its first statement after the volcanic eruption, saying that 3 people had been killed and that Tonga had suffered an "unprecedented disaster".
Government of Tonga: 3 people were killed on the island where all houses were destroyed
The statement said the eruption of the Hong Aha Apay Island volcano and the triggering of a widespread tsunami had brought "unprecedented disaster" to Tonga. The statement confirmed that the three victims were two locals and one British.
All houses on The island of Mangao were destroyed, and the islands of Foroyfua and Nomuca were also badly affected. At the same time, volcanic ash has had a serious impact on Tonga's water supply system. At present, the Tongan Navy has delivered relief materials such as drinking water, food and tents to the residents of the more severely affected islands.
According to The Speaker of the Legislative Council of Tonga, Fakafanua, on the 18th, the Tongan government is stepping up the repair of communication lines, will give priority to repairing the communication between the government and the health emergency department, and try to allow the public to use the mobile 2G network to send and receive text messages to report safety.
The main station exclusively interviewed the Chinese envoy in Tanggar: The Chinese citizens on the island are safe and there are no casualties
Since the eruption of submarine volcanoes and tsunamis in Tonga, Tonga's submarine communication lines have been damaged and external communications have been interrupted. The local disaster situation, especially the situation of Chinese citizens in Tonga, has touched the hearts of countless people.
On the afternoon of the 18th, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that after the volcanic eruption, the Chinese Embassy in Tonga activated the emergency response mechanism at the first time, and there are no reports of Casualties of Chinese citizens.
The reporter of the general station exclusively interviewed Cao Xiaolin, the Chinese envoy to Tangda, through a satellite phone. Ambassador Cao introduced that there are more than 1,000 Chinese citizens and company employees on the main island of Tonga, all of whom are safe, living and working normally. These days, the local air is still filled with volcanic ash, which is harmful to the human respiratory system, so the government calls on people to avoid going out as much as possible. In addition, volcanic ash pollutes water sources throughout the country, all households face difficulties in drinking water, and crops are devastating.
UN official: Tonga International Airport is expected to resume operations soon
On the 18th, United Nations officials briefed the outside world on the latest situation related to the tsunami disaster caused by the volcanic eruption on the tonga seabed. All houses on Tonga's Mungo Island have been destroyed and Tonga International Airport is expected to resume operations soon.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Fiji, Vichy, said on the 18th that since the eruption of the submarine volcano and the tsunami disaster, Tonga's communication with the outside world has been interrupted, until the 17th, the United Nations agencies have established weak links with some of Tonga's outer islands through satellite phones and radio. Vecchi said it was understood that all the houses on Tonga's island of Muneo had been destroyed, but it was not clear what the circumstances of the damage and the transfer of people on the island were unknown. Only two buildings on Foroyfua Island were undamaged, and Nomuca Wasrefrough was badly affected.
Vecchi said tonga international airport is still closed due to volcanic ash. However, local staff are stepping up efforts to clean up the ash from the airport, which is expected to soon resume operations.
Tonga expects to resume international voice communications within this week
On the 18th, the reporter learned through the Chinese company in charge of Tonga-related business that the company's local partners in Tonga said that after the disaster, Tonga's local communication facilities were destroyed, and they could only rely on satellite phones to communicate with the outside world. International voice communications are expected to resume in Tonga within this week. At this stage, local communications operators are rushing to repair communication facilities, and the focus of maintenance work is on the restoration of satellite data services to help Tonga re-network and resume voice communications as soon as possible.
The Continental Winds And Cloud satellite continuously monitors the dispersal of volcanic ash
An eruption of an undersea volcano in Tonga triggered a tsunami, and several countries around the Pacific Simultaneously sounded the alarm. Experts said that in addition to the tsunami, another major disaster caused by the eruption of the submarine volcano in Tonga is volcanic ash. After the disaster, the mainland's Fengyun meteorological satellites have been continuously monitoring. Will it float to the mainland?
This article originated from CCTV Finance
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