Tonga Tsunami: Major damage reported due to communication breakdown
Written byTimes Magazine
Significant damage was reported after the tsunami hit the Pacific island nation of Tonga, but communication problems make it difficult to get a complete picture. On Sunday, the Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano erupted about 65 km (40 miles) north of the capital Nuku'alofa.
The eruption, which was heard across the United States, set off waves in Tonga that were more than three feet high. Angela Glover's friends and family from the UK say she is missing. Social media posts say he was swept away by the waves.
More than 10,000 kilometers away, two people drowned near the coast in northern Peru amid unusually high waves. Internet and telephone communications in Tonga are minimal, and the coastal areas remain cut off, so the true extent of the damage is unclear.
"Significant damage has been reported along the west coast of Tongatapu, including the resort and coastal area of northern Nuku'alofa," the New Zealand High Commission in Tonga wrote on Facebook, referring to the main island of Tonga.
The publication said those living there "just managed to get to safety, ran through the bush and escaped," and "couldn't save anything."
New Zealand TV correspondent Barbara Driver wrote on Facebook that it would be "at least two weeks before international telephone and internetwork again" as the volcanic eruption damaged critical submarine cables.
The Red Cross said even the satellite phones used by many aid organizations had poor service due to the impact of the ash cloud. The organization estimates that up to 80,000 people could be affected by the tsunami.
Most of the information comes from the family and friends of Tongans living abroad. As a result, you are faced with impatient news anticipation. One woman, Fatima, said she had not heard from a colleague who runs a seaside restaurant in the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa.
Trending News
