The south Pacific island nation of Tonga triggered a tsunami triggered by an undersea volcano that has killed at least three people to date and the country has entered a state of emergency. According to the News of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 19th, Tonga has now established a temporary communication system of 2G signals to communicate with the outside world. New Zealand, Fiji and other countries have planned to rescue Tonga.
Since the undersea volcano erupted on the island of Hong Aha Apai and triggered a tsunami on the 15th, Tonga's external communications were interrupted. On the fourth day after the disaster, the New Zealand Foreign Office said that Tabu Island, Tonga's main island, has established a temporary communication system that can use 2G signals to communicate with the outside world, but communication is still limited and scattered. According to the assessment, the Tonga submarine cable will take at least 4 weeks to repair.
Regarding the disaster in Tonga, it can be seen from the pictures taken in the capital Nuku'alofa on the 18th that there are fallen trees everywhere, and the roofs, car roofs, roads and streets are covered with thick volcanic ash, and the people have begun to clean up.
At present, Tonga's electricity supply has been largely restored and damage assessment is underway. New Zealand, Fiji and other countries plan to rescue Tonga.
According to New Zealand media reports, There are three outer islands in Tonga, and basically all houses have been destroyed. At the time of the eruption, two of the outer islands had about 50 people each, and the Tongan government had begun to evacuate survivors from the islands.
On the 19th, Roman Catholic Pope Francis led the faithful to pray for the people of Tonga in the Vatican. In his speech, the Pope pointed out that the volcanic eruption had caused great material damage to Tonga, and he pleaded with God to comfort the suffering residents of Tonga.
Chinese Envoy to Tang dynasty: More than 1,000 Chinese citizens are safe
Cao Xiaolin, the Chinese envoy to Tonga, quoted the latest disaster situation reported by the Tonga government as saying that a large number of houses had been destroyed on the west side of the main island where the capital was located, and many people had been resettled to shelters. In the third largest archipelago, which is relatively close to the volcanic eruption, the disaster is more severe, and all the houses on some small islands were engulfed by the tsunami, and the specific casualties are in the statistics.
Cao Xiaolin said there are more than a thousand Chinese citizens and company employees on the main island of Tonga, and they are safe at present. As a result of the interruption of communications between Tonga and the outside world, the Government of Tonga has been requested to assist in understanding the situation of Chinese citizens on the outer islands and has actively provided assistance. Embassy staff have visited some of the families of Chinese citizens who have been hit hard by the disaster and provided necessary assistance. In addition, because they could not get in touch with their families in China, they also reported to their relatives in China in an appropriate way.
Employees of Chinese enterprises in Tonga said that they are currently working normally, and since the living materials are enough to support everyone for more than 3 months, everyone has not panicked. But volcanic ash is everywhere, so install water purification devices for groundwater and wear masks to go out.
Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun said on Twitter on the 19th that China will send a batch of emergency supplies to Tonga at the request of Tonga, including drinking water, food and disaster relief equipment. As soon as flight conditions permit, supplies will arrive there as soon as possible. In addition, China Telecom has urgently coordinated the submarine cable repair ship to Tonga to repair the submarine communication line damaged by the volcanic eruption, which may take several weeks.
United Nations: It is imperative to resume international communications in Tonga
On the 19th, the United Nations Pacific Islands Resident Coordinator Vic told reporters at the United Nations Headquarters in New York that the tsunami caused by the volcanic eruption in Tonga has caused 3 deaths, including a British citizen. United Nations relief efforts on the ground are still ongoing, and no sustained volcanic eruptions or tsunami activity have been reported in the past 24 hours.
Thanks to the eruption and tsunami, Tonga's communication signals have been cut off and can now only be communicated via satellite phone and radio, with assistance imperatives being to rebuild international telephone and Internet communications, Vicky said.
Vecchi said the cleanup at Tonga's main airport, Fuamamotu International Airport, is continuing and that once the cleanup is complete, the United Nations plans to deliver international relief supplies to the area. However, Vicky said that Tonga currently has no confirmed cases of the new crown epidemic, has strict epidemic prevention measures, foreign personnel may not be allowed to get off the plane, and the United Nations may provide assistance in a "non-island" manner.
Tonga has a population of 105,000, and there is currently only one CASE of COVID-19-related cases, the patient is a seasonal worker in Tonga, who was diagnosed after returning to Tonga by plane from New Zealand and has recovered and been discharged from the hospital. At the beginning of 2020, Tonga has banned most inbound and outbound flights, and there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Source: Phoenix TV Information Station
Edit: Autumn fruit