In the island country of Tonga in the South Pacific, the underwater volcano eruption that occurred on Saturday rose and the tsunami disaster that followed caused great damage. Covered in ash after the volcanic eruption, the island nation turned gray. Due to the tsunami, houses were destroyed, boats and huge boulders washed ashore. In a statement, Tonga Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said that all the houses on Mango Island, where 36 people from Tonga live, were destroyed, while only 2 houses remained on Fonoifua Island. Noting that the Nomuka Island, where 239 people live, also suffered great damage, Sovaleni stated that all 170 islands of the country were covered with volcanic ash.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, announced that 3 people lost their lives due to the tsunami caused by the volcanic disaster, and many people were injured and the water resources were polluted. Stating that more than 80 percent of the population of approximately 100,000 people was affected by the explosion, Dujarric said that 100 houses in Tongatapu Island, where the capital Nuku’alofa is located, were damaged and 50 houses were completely destroyed.
After the explosion, communication in the country was cut off as a result of the damage to the submarine cable. US company SubCom has announced that Tonga’s wiring can be repaired in at least 4 weeks. In a statement made yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, it was stated that a temporary telecommunication system with 2G technology was established to provide Tonga’s connection with the outside world. While electricity is restored in the country, where power lines were also damaged, cleaning and damage assessment efforts continue.