Tonga eruption: Communications Could be Down for ‘4 Weeks’

The HMNZS Aotearoa is carrying bulk water supplies as well as a desalination plant capable of processing 70,000 liters of water a day. Survey and diving teams are also on their way onboard the HMNZS Wellington.

Another ship from Australia is also planning to set sail soon.

Coronavirus is yet another complication for the island, as Tonga is one of the few countries that has not recorded any Covid-19 outbreaks, prompting fears about the importation of infections from outside aid.

‘Unprecedented disaster’

Tonga confirmed on Tuesday that three people were killed in the tsunami with multiple other people suffering injuries.

A village on one of the many islands was almost completely wiped out, the government said, with only a few buildings left standing.

Many other villages across the archipelago had also suffered severe damage. Tongan rescue teams were sent to the worst-hit areas.

In its first public declaration since the eruption, the government called it “an unprecedented disaster.”

Sources: AFP, dpa