First death reported in Tonga after underwater volcano eruption

The powerful eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga, followed by a tsunami, claimed its first fatality in that Pacific archipelago that is practically isolated from the world due to the paralysis of communications.

The country of 100,000 people was left without telephone and internet connection after the cataclysm cut an underwater communications cable that would take two weeks to repair. In addition, the ash cloud prevents the arrival of planes.

The information from that country arrives with a dropper after the eruption of the volcano, which caused a tsunami throughout the Pacific Ocean that left two deaths and an oil spill in Peru.

A 50-year-old British woman swept away by the waves has become the first confirmed fatality of the event in Tonga. The family was informed through a satellite call from her husband, managed by a tattoo shop.

According to her brother Nick Eleini, the victim, Angela Glover, died while trying to save the dogs from her shelter. Her husband “James was able to hang on to a tree for a long time, but Angela couldn’t and was dragged away by the dogs,” she said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned Tuesday morning in Tonga of a distress signal on Mango, a small, low-lying island in the archipelago inhabited by 30 people according to the official census.

Reconnaissance planes confirmed “considerable real estate damage” on this island and on another called Fonoi, without being able to establish contact with its inhabitants, this office added.

Affectation in Peru

Saturday’s eruption was felt as far away as Alaska and caused wave disturbances all along the Pacific coast, from Japan to the United States to Chile.

Through images taken from space, it was possible to observe the moment when the last eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano sent a mushroom of smoke and ash into the air and a shock wave through the surrounding sea.

In Peru, this tsunami swept away two women on Saturday, who drowned. An oil spill in the province of Callao, which has forced the closure of three beaches, is also attributed to this phenomenon.

Since the eruption, neighboring countries and international agencies have tried to assess the extent of the damage and the most urgent needs.

New Zealand and Australia on Monday sent reconnaissance planes and made C-130 military transport planes available to drop supplies or land if the runways are deemed operational.

“We know that water is an immediate need,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, explaining that they rely on satellite phones to communicate with the country.

communications paralyzed

With communications at a standstill, Tongans outside the country are desperately trying to talk to their loved ones.

“I can’t contact my family, there is no communication,” he told the AFP Filipo Motulalo, a journalist for Pacific Media Network. “Our house is among those close to the area that has already been flooded, so we don’t know how much damage there is,” he said.

“The worst thing is the blackout and the fact that we don’t know anything,” he added.

The Australian Minister for International Development, Zed Seselja, explained that his country’s police stationed in Tonga sent a “rather worrying” situation report.

“Roads and some houses have suffered quite significant damage”, but “one of the good news (…) is that the airport has not suffered any significant damage”, declared the minister.

“According to the information we have, the scale of the devastation could be immense, especially for the most isolated islands,” said Katie Greenwood of the International Federation of the Red Cross.

Tonga was already cut off for two weeks in 2019, when a ship’s anchor cut the cable. A small locally operated satellite service was then established to allow minimal contact with the outside world. (I)