[Wellington, 16th Reuters]–The submarine volcano erupted on the 15th off the coast of Tonga, an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, and the tsunami caused the country to continue to be unable to connect to the telephone or the Internet. The damage situation such as casualties has not been clarified yet.
The eruption was the submarine volcano “Hunga Tonga Hunga Harpai” located about 65 km north of the capital Nuku’alofa. 1.2-meter tsunami warnings and evacuation orders have been issued in the coastal areas of Tonga and several South Pacific Islands, and videos have been posted on social media showing waves rushing to coastal homes.
On the evening of the 15th, the internet and telephone were not connected, and it was almost impossible to contact the residents.
Tonga is an island country with a population of about 105,000 located 2383 km northeast of New Zealand.
New Zealand Prime Minister Ardan said at a news conference on Thursday that there are no official reports of injuries or deaths from Tonga at this time. However, he pointed out that communication is limited and that he has not yet been contacted with coastal areas other than Nuku’alofa and areas near volcanoes.
“Nuku’alofa is thickly covered with dust from the eruption, but it is in a calm state,” he said. “There are areas where we have not been contacted yet and the situation is unknown.”
He pointed out that the submarine communication cable was affected and that the cause was likely to be a power outage. He also said that power is beginning to recover in some areas and mobile phones are becoming available.
The local New Zealand High Commissioner’s office has reported that the tsunami has severely damaged the northern coast of Nuku’alofa, noting that there has been no official assessment of the damage.
Australia announced on the 17th that it will dispatch an observation aircraft to investigate the damage to important infrastructure such as roads, ports and electric wires.
US Secretary of State Blinken has stated that he is ready to provide assistance.
* The video has been updated.
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