Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
January 20, 2022, 11.27 PM

KOMPAS.com — An aid flight landed in Tonga on Thursday, Jan. 20, the first since an undersea volcano triggered devastating tsunami waves. A New Zealand military Hercules brought water containers, temporary shelters, and generators. Australian planes will also deliver essential supplies.

So far, just three fatalities have been reported after Saturday's disaster in Tonga, a South Pacific archipelago that lies about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.

The damage to property and infrastructure is reported to be immense, though.

Aerial pictures taken by the New Zealand air force show several villages have been wiped out on some islands.

Also readFive Indonesian Citizens Remain Unreachable after Tsunami Hits Pacific Island of Tonga

Hundreds of volunteers and members of the Tongan defense forces have been clearing ash and other debris from the runway at the main airport, allowing international aid to arrive.

Satellite communications have been restored, but other telephone and internet networks could take up to a month to repair because of damage to an undersea communications cable.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Rachael Moore, Australia’s high commissioner to Tonga, assessed the impact of the disaster.

Also readAustralia, New Zealand Begin Aerial Inspection of Tonga after Tsunami

“These places are devastated,” she said. “They are described as a moonscape, and you might have seen some photos of that. So, the fact that the Tongan government was able to support the people and the Tongan people knew what to do in the case of a tsunami has meant that the loss of life and the number of serious injuries is small. But the loss to property is catastrophic.”

Two New Zealand navy ships are due to arrive Friday carrying water and other essential supplies, as well as engineers and helicopters.

Distributing supplies is further complicated by the need to maintain Covid-19 protocols. Tonga has recorded just a single case of coronavirus. Tongan and New Zealand officials have been working out how foreign assistance can be delivered in a contactless way.

Tonga has an estimated population of 100,000. There are large expatriate communities in Australia and New Zealand.

Dapatkan update berita pilihan dan breaking news setiap hari dari Kompas.com. Mari bergabung di Grup Telegram "Kompas.com News Update", caranya klik link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, kemudian join. Anda harus install aplikasi Telegram terlebih dulu di ponsel.

Source VOA News


Comment wisely and responsibly. Comments are entirely the responsibility of the commentator as regulated in the ITE Law
Report
Thank You! We have received your report. We will remove comments that conflict with the Community Guidelines and the ITE Law.

More Headlines

News
April 14, 2023, 12.38 PM

Indonesia Detects New Covid Arcturus Variant

Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+

MOST POPULAR

Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
Baca berita tanpa iklan. Gabung Kompas.com+
Close Ads
Oke