All the houses on an island were destroyed! Tonga government: suffered an "unprecedented disaster"

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 killed

There are islands where all houses have been 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.

Chinese Envoy to Tanggar:

The Chinese citizens on the island were safe and there were no casualties reported

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.

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Volcanic ash has drifted over Australia

At present, there are still a large amount of volcanic ash floating in The sky in Tonga, affecting other countries. Satellite imagery released by the Australian Meteorological Service shows that large amounts of ash from undersea volcanic eruptions in Tonga are moving westward at a speed of 92 kilometers per hour, floating over northeast Australia, 3,000 kilometers away. With the volcanic ash reaching heights between around 12 and 19 kilometres, which could affect flights, Australian authorities have called on airlines to remain on high alert.

The eruption caused a spill on a Peruvian oil tanker

Peruvian Environment Minister Ramirez said on the 17th that due to the tsunami caused by the volcanic eruption on the tonga seabed, a Peruvian oil tanker had a spill accident when unloading oil on the 16th. Ramirez said the spilled oil had contaminated parts of central Peru, as well as two sandy beaches. After the accident, the local environmental department personnel immediately carried out leak plugging and cleaning work. At present, the leakage has been controlled and cleaning work is underway.

Source: China Net