Barely a week after the massive volcanic eruption off Tonga, more and more countries are sending relief supplies to the kingdom, which has been severely devastated. Britain will work with New Zealand and Australia to deliver drinking water, tents and protective gear, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said today.
The humanitarian aid is intended to help the Pacific nation, which belongs to the Commonwealth, to cope with the consequences of the “catastrophic event”.
The undersea Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai, just 40 miles north of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa, ejected a cloud of ash and gas miles high like a mushroom cloud on Saturday. Experts say it was one of the world’s largest devastating eruptions in decades, with tsunami waves reaching as far away as Alaska, Japan and South America.
Government declared a state of emergency
The consulate of Tonga in the EU published video recordings showing the severe damage caused by the tsunami, which was up to 15 meters high, in the South Seas archipelago. Many houses, especially near the coast, were completely destroyed, vegetation torn down, and a layer of ash lay on the streets. At least three people were killed. Most of the drinking water is polluted. The government declared a state of emergency.
An Australian plane carrying relief supplies en route to Tonga was forced to turn around mid-flight after the crew was informed of a positive coronavirus case. According to a spokeswoman for the Australian Ministry of Defense, all crew members had given a negative rapid antigen test before departure, but later PCR tests showed a positive result.
Although the South Pacific nation of Tonga is in urgent need of aid, the coronavirus-free island nation is pursuing a strict border control policy and is demanding the contactless handover of aid supplies that have been arriving by plane since yesterday. Supplies have now been moved to another flight.