JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Contact has not been established with five Indonesians in Tonga after an underwater volcano erupted, triggering 1.2-meter tsunami waves in the South Pacific island on Saturday, Jan. 15, an official confirmed.
“Until now, the five Indonesian citizens remain uncontactable as communications are still cut off,” the Foreign Ministry’s director for citizen protection and legal entities overseas Judha Nugraha told Kompas.com on Monday, Jan. 17.
Judha went on to add that the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand continues to coordinate with various parties in New Zealand and Tonga to monitor the condition of the Indonesian citizens.
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Tonga lies 2,383 kilometers northeast of New Zealand. The island nation has approximately 105,000 populations.
“There were five Indonesian citizens in Tonga when the incident occurred. They live in the capital Nuku’alofa,” said Judha.
All Indonesian citizens in New Zealand are urged to remain vigilant. As of yesterday, the government of New Zealand has yet to issue official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga due to the limited communications.
(Writer: Vitorio Mantalean | Editor: Krisiandi)
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