Tonga was virtually cut off from the rest of the world on Monday after the eruption of an undersea volcano paralyzed communications in the Pacific island nation.
Experts warned that the internet connection could be cut for several weeks for the nearly 100,000 people who live in the country.
The eruption two days ago of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haa’pai volcano covered Tonga in ash, triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami that killed two people in Peru from the storm surge.
Neighboring countries and international agencies continue to assess the extent of the damage. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday they are “significant.”
New Zealand and Australia sent reconnaissance planes on Monday to assess the damage and made C-130 military transport planes available to drop supplies or land if the runways are deemed operational.
Saturday’s volcanic explosion is known to have severely damaged the ash-covered capital Nuku’alofa and severed an underwater communications cable, which could take two weeks to restore.
The eruption was felt as far away as Alaska, causing a surge that reached Pacific coasts from Japan to the United States.
“We know that water is an immediate need,” Ardern told reporters, explaining that New Zealand relies on satellite phones to communicate with the country.
The reconnaissance flights will help inform the Tongan government of the extent of the damage caused by the volcano and tsunami and identify aid needs, Ardern added.
The prime minister, speaking to the New Zealand embassy in Tonga, described ships and “big rocks” washing up on the coast north of Nuku’alofa.
The New Zealand Defense Minister explained for his part that the island country had managed to restore electricity to “large parts” of the city.
‘We do not know anything’
With communications at a standstill, Tongans outside the country are desperately trying to talk to their loved ones.
“I can’t contact my family, there is no communication,” Filipo Motulalo, a journalist with the Pacific Media Network, told AFP. “Our house is among those close to the area that has already been flooded, so we don’t know how much damage there is,” he said.
Motulalo said many Tongans abroad were concerned. “I think the worst thing is the blackout and the fact that we don’t know anything,” he said.
Many are concerned about the elderly facing air filled with volcanic dust.
Southern Cross Cable Network network director Dean Veverka told AFP the internet could be down for two weeks.
“We are receiving imprecise information, but it seems that the cable has been cut,” he said. “The repair could take up to two weeks.”
Southern Cross is helping Tonga Cable Limited, which owns the 872-kilometre cable that links the island country to Fiji, and from there to the rest of the world.
At first it was believed that the failure was due to a power outage after the eruption. But subsequent tests, once the power supply was restored, indicated that it was a break in the cable.
Tonga was already cut off for two weeks in 2019, when a ship’s anchor cut the cable. A small locally operated satellite service was then established to allow minimal contact with the outside world.
