Right on the islands, which were covered by volcanic ash from the eruption, a 50-year-old British woman who ran a dog shelter in her town in Nuku’alofa died.
The dead woman’s brother confirmed to Sky News that her husband found the body. She was reportedly swept away by a tidal wave trying to save the dogs. The British Foreign Office previously reported her missing. The couple lived on the archipelago for several years.
Australia and New Zealand have sent observation planes to the isolated archipelago to assess the extent of the damage. Curtis Tu’ihalangingie, a diplomat from Tonga’s Australian embassy, called on the world to be patient as the government decides on priorities to help the affected country.
Fear of covid
Tonga fears that aid for people affected by the earthquake could bring the covid to the islands, which is not yet spreading. “We don’t want another tsunami to hit us – this time Covid-19,” the diplomat told Reuters.
He warned that all aid to the islands would have to go through quarantine and that it was likely that no one would be allowed to disembark the aircraft.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai submarine erupted early CET on Saturday morning. According to satellite images, a huge cloud of ash, steam and volcanic gases then rose to a height of about twenty kilometers. The eruption lasted eight minutes and was so loud that it was described as a distant rumble by the inhabitants of Fiji, eight hundred kilometers away.
Tonga Pita Taufatofua, a three-time Olympic flag bearer, has set up a fundraiser to help his homeland. He monitors the situation from Australia, where he trains. “The first reports of the damage were catastrophic and all communication with Tonga died down,” he wrote on Twitter. He plans to devote selected funds to help those in need, repair infrastructure, schools and hospitals.
