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A British woman who went missing in the tsunami has been confirmed as the first dead, Archyde.com news agency reported.
New Zealand’s embassy in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, said that facilities on the west coast of Tongatapu Island, where numerous resorts are located, and Nuku’alofa Beach, were severely damaged.
Angela Glover, 50, a British woman who was swept away by waves while trying to rescue her dogs from the tsunami, has also been confirmed to have died.
His brother said that Glover’s body had been found.
However, the exact damage is not known because the submarine communication cable was cut due to the submarine volcanic eruption, making it difficult to communicate on several islands.
Australia and New Zealand are sending reconnaissance planes to investigate the damage.
The New Zealand embassy said the entire island is covered with thick ash and is focusing on restoring communications with the smaller islands.
The United Nations said a distress signal was detected in the Hapai Islands, north of Tongatapu Island, and said Phonoi and Mango Islands are of particular concern.
According to the Tongan government, 69 people live on Phonoi Island and 36 people live on Mango Island.
Dozens of facilities on Nomuka Island also appear to have been damaged, according to satellite imagery released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Additional volcanic activity cannot be ruled out,” OCHA said.
Australia’s International Development and Pacific Minister Jed Seselza said Australian police investigating the coast had reported that the houses had been left in extensive damage.
The International Red Cross launched a relief organization to provide relief.
Alexander Mateu, director of the Asia-Pacific Division of the Red Cross, said there was an urgent need to purify drinking water contaminated with volcanic ash, provide shelter and find scattered families.
However, communication has not been restored, which is an obstacle to relief efforts, and there are concerns that Corona 19 may flow into Tonga, a country clean of Corona 19, with the support of the international community.
An official at a telecommunication cable company in Tonga said that two submarine cables were cut in the volcanic eruption, and recovery will be difficult until repairs are possible after the volcanic activity is over.
“We don’t want another wave, the COVID-19 tsunami,” a Tongan embassy official in Australia said.
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