Tonga’s jockey Pitanicolas Taupatofua waves the flag during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Canadian Olympic twitter accountTonga Nam, who made a sensational appearance at the opening ceremonies of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the Tokyo Summer Olympics with his national flag naked, said, “All contact with my family has been cut off.”
Tonga, an island nation in the South Pacific, is expected to suffer heavy damage from the tsunami that followed the eruption of a nearby submarine volcano, and details of the damage have yet to be confirmed.
Olympic athlete Pitanicolas Taupatofua of Tonga delivered the first news to fans after her country was damaged by the tsunami through Instagram on the 16th, saying, “Thank you for sending a message of concern.”
Taupatopua, who is now known to be living in Australia, said, “There has been a major volcanic eruption in Hapai, Tonga. Tsunami is sweeping major towns in Popua and Nuku’alofa Tongatapu,” he said.
Twitter capture
Taupatofua, in particular, complained that he had lost contact with his family. “From what I’ve heard, my father, who is now the governor of Hapai, was about to fly back from Tongatapu to Hapai after the parliament opened, but after arriving at the airport, a volcanic eruption caused the flight to be canceled,” he said. All communication was cut off.”
Afterwards, he posted stories such as “still no contact from my father and family in Hapai” and “everything is in God’s hands”.
He also said he would raise money for relief online. “The initial state of the damage from the tsunami is very serious. This fund will be used to help those in greatest need, infrastructure, schools and hospitals,” he said.
Fans of Taupatofua from all over the world are sending messages of support to Tonga and him. Reporter Lee Han-hyung, the corresponding SNS capture
Taupatofua became famous by participating in both winter and summer Olympics, from the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. In particular, he appeared as a Tongan jockey at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and even in sub-zero temperatures, he took off his shirt and appeared with a flag, which became a big topic.
On this news, netizens around the world supported Tonga and him through comments. A domestic netizen comforted Taupatofua by saying, “I am sending great support from Korea.” A Peruvian netizen cheered him, saying, “I hope your family is all safe. I hope to hear from your father soon.”
In addition, messages of support were delivered from netizens around the world, including Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and China.
Twitter capture
According to major foreign media on the 17th, the details of the damage in Tonga have not been confirmed yet. Reuters reported on the same day that “communications were still lost in Tonga, where there is concern about the tsunami.”
Australia’s Minister for International Development and Pacific Jed Seselza told ABC Australia that “Fortunately, no major casualties have been reported at this stage,” but “information from neighboring islands is still very limited.”
“We estimate that up to 80,000 people in Tonga may have been affected by volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and flooding,” Katie Greenwood, head of the Pacific delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) told the BBC.
The Korean government said that no Korean casualties have been reported so far. On the 16th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “So far, there have been no reports of damage from overseas citizens related to the eruption of a submarine volcano in the South Pacific.” It is estimated that 18 Koreans currently reside in Tonga.
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