The first aid in Tonga came from China, and the King of Tonga: The government and people were deeply touched by China's righteous deeds

Source: Global Times

According to the United Nations News Network reported on the 20th, the rescue work for Tonga is underway. On the 19th local time, the Tonga government received the first batch of assistance - these materials and funds came from China. As of now, Chinese citizens and enterprises in Tang are safe, and our embassy in Tonga has not received any reports of casualties.

China is a true friend of Tonga

The Chinese government is highly concerned about the disaster in Tonga. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press conference on the 20th that the Red Cross Society of China has provided $100,000 in emergency humanitarian spot assistance to Tonga. The Chinese government, through the Embassy in Tonga, raised a batch of emergency supplies such as drinking water and food at the fastest speed and delivered them to Tonga on the 19th. When attending the delivery ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Thai of Tonga expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese government for its prompt assistance to Tonga. This was the first batch of emergency relief supplies received by the Government of Tonga after the disaster. This carries the special friendship between Tang and China. Local people thanked the Chinese embassy one after another, emotionally saying that China is a true friend of Tonga.

King Tupou VI of Tonga said on the 19th: "At the time of the national crisis in Tonga, the Chinese leader sent me a message of condolence, the Chinese government extended a helping hand at the first time, and the Government and people of Tonga were deeply touched by the righteous deeds of the Chinese side and expressed their deep gratitude for this." Some of Tonga's islands have been seriously affected, and I thank the Chinese side for expressing its willingness to continue to help The Tang side carry out rescue and post-disaster reconstruction. ”

After three days of clearing the runway with bare hands, the transport plane finally arrived

On the 20th, the first flights of fresh water and other aid from Australia and New Zealand also arrived in Tonga. These supplies include water storage containers, tents, generators, hygiene supplies and communications equipment. Australian military aircraft are also equipped with a special cleaner to help keep the runway at Tonga Airport open. New Zealand's defense minister said on the 20th that the rescue ship that has departed arrived in Tonga with more than 250,000 liters of clean water and desalination equipment.

Gilmour, commander of the New Zealand Joint Force, who arrived in Tonga with a military transport plane on the 20th, said in a briefing on the relevant situation that in order to allow the aircraft transporting relief supplies to land as soon as possible, the Tongan army has made great efforts, and they spent 3 days to clean up the thick volcanic ash covering the airport runway with their bare hands, which allowed the relief materials to be smoothly transported into Tonga.

The Japanese government also decided on the 20th that it would send two C-130 transport aircraft of the Self-Defense Forces to Australia as soon as possible on the same day. In the future, the transport ship Osumi will also be sent to Tonga to try to transport large equipment such as high-pressure cleaners and trailers. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the plenary session of the Senate that "we will work closely with Australia and New Zealand and other relevant countries to deal with it." The Japanese government has announced on the 19th that it will give Tonga more than $1 million in free financial assistance.

Photos of the disaster area flowed out, and the scene was shocking

After the eruption of the submarine volcano, photos of the damage on Tonga's main island also flowed out, and some areas were severely damaged. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 20th, the picture shows that the Pacific island country is covered by a layer of volcanic ash, and the coast is covered with trees and building debris that have been overwhelmed by huge waves (pictured). Aerial photographs taken by the New Zealand Air Force showed that several villages had been razed to the ground in some archipelagos where there was no time to contact. The Tongan government described it as an "unprecedented disaster".

Tonga's National Emergency Management Office said on the 20th that 90% of the power of Tongatapu Island, where the capital is located and the main island, has been restored. The Associated Press said on the 20th that Tonga's international telephone communications have been partially restored through satellites, but people need to be patient to call international long distances, because there is too much demand. A critical submarine cable that was damaged took weeks to repair. According to reports, the United Nations reminds that Tonga has very strict regulations to prevent the new crown epidemic and needs to be observed. At present, no cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in Tonga.