Since a huge submarine volcano erupted and wreaked widespread damage, the Tonga government issued its first statement on Tuesday morning describing huge mushroom plumes and nearly 50 feet of tsunami waves that hit shores and devastated villages across the Entire South Pacific island kingdom.
Since the explosion of the Hungarian Hapay volcano in Tonga, Hungary, on Saturday, international and domestic communications, including the Internet, have been cut off. According to the government's statement, the eruption damaged an underwater fiber-optic cable, cutting off communications with the outside world.
As a result of the eruption, the volcanic mushroom plume was released into the stratosphere, which extended radially and covered the entire Tonga Archipelago, producing tsunami waves of up to 15 meters high that hit the west coast of the Tongatapu Islands, Ehe and Hapay Islands, the government statement said.
The eruption occurred in the South Pacific, about 40 miles south of Tanga.
A handout photo provided by the New Zealand Defence Force showed the house of a reconnaissance plane covered in thick grey covering Tonganomuka
Damage assessments are underway on Tuesday, and the government relies on satellite phones and high-frequency radios to establish communications between the multiple islands that make up the Kingdom of Polynesia. Government officials said communication with at least one island, Nuyas, had not been restored.
The government said at least three people had died, including the death of a British national. According to the statement, a 65-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man from Nomuca Island were also killed.
A handout photo provided by the New Zealand Defence Force showed aerial views of a reconnaissance aircraft showing thick ash in Tongano muka.
The government said two people were still unaccounted for and many were reportedly injured.
The Government indicated that it was particularly concerned about the damage to Mango, Funua and Nomuca after receiving initial reports from the islands of Mango, Funua and Nomuca.
The government said the first shipments would be shipped to the islands because all the houses on Mango Island were destroyed; only two houses remained on Bonois and Nomuca was widely damaged.
It is unclear how many houses and people occupied Mango Island, Nomuca island and Foruifua Island. Many of Tonga's 170 islands are uninhabited or sparsely populated.
The government said at least eight homes in the village of Kolomotu in Tongatapu, Tonga's most populous island, had been completely destroyed and another 20 had been severely damaged.
According to the Government, on eurasia, two houses were completely destroyed and 45 were severely damaged.
The government said it was evacuating from the small island of Atata near the capital, Nuku'alofa, spread across Tongatapu, Mango, Foroi and Nomuca.
The government statement said volcanic ash had severely affected the water supply. Governments must work to ensure continuity of drinking water supplies.
In photos provided by the New Zealand Defence Force, personnel stack and secure trays of relief supplies delivered to Tonga by RAF C-130 near Nomuka, Tonga
Sea and air transport have also been affected by persistent waves and volcanic ash covering the airport runway.
The government said domestic and international flights had been postponed until further notice as the airport was cleaned up.
Officials said the eruption was so intense that it caused a roar of sound waves more than 6,000 miles away in Alaska.
The blast also triggered tsunami warnings from Fiji to the coasts of Hawaii and California.
The large waves caused by the eruption are believed to be the cause of oil spills off the Peruvian coast, about 6,600 miles from Tonga. The Peruvian Civil Defense Institute said in a statement monday that a ship was loading oil into the La Pampilla refinery on the Pacific coast of Prue on Sunday when waves lifted the ship and caused an overflow.