Tonga: A Tongan Olympian Has Started a Fundraiser for His Home Islands

Tonga volcano: New images reveal scale of damage after tsunami: New pictures have emerged from Tonga, revealing the damage wreaked by tsunami waves triggered by an undersea volcano. »

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Tonga Volcano: How Much Damage Did It Cause? | DW News

Jan 18, 2022 • A closed airport and lack of communication have continued to hinder international relief measures on the Pacific island nation of Tonga after Saturday's massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, even as significant damage was reported along the western coast of the country’s main island on Tuesday. The New Zealand High Commission reported damage on the island of Tongatapu, which is home to many holiday resorts, and the waterfront of capital Nuku'alofa. The United Nations also said that satellite visuals showed extensive damage on the western coast of Tongatapu, with several resorts and houses destroyed or severely damaged.

The official toll of deaths, injuries and damage from the disaster is still unclear, as the South Pacific archipelago has remained severed from the rest of the world after its main undersea communications cable was cut during the eruption on the uninhabited volcanic island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai. In the first known death from the catastrophe, British national Angela Glover, 50, was killed in the tsunami as she attempted to save dogs at a rescue shelter she had set up with her husband in Tonga, her brother said. High waves from the eruption also caused two deaths in faraway Peru, where two women drowned. The country also reported an oil spill after a ship was affected while transferring oil at a refinery. "We don't have any further information that would suggest... significant casualties, although, as you would appreciate, information is still relatively patchy," Australia's Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja said on Nine's Today show on Tuesday. He said the airport could likely open by Wednesday, with volcanic ash currently preventing planes from landing safely.

The UN said on Tuesday that it had detected a distress beacon from Tonga. eThe UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed concern about the small low-lying islands of Mango and Fonoi. An active distress signal was detected from Mango. "Communication is still the most challenging single issue as internet and international phone lines are still out of order," the OCHA said. "Satellite phones are the only reliable instrument for communication with the outside but they, too, do not always work reliably." Meanwhile, the New Zealand High Commission said that it was trying to establish communications with smaller islands "as a matter of priority." The eruption triggered atmospheric shockwaves and unusually large waves that traveled as far as Alaska, Japan and South America.


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Tsunami Hits Tonga after Underwater Volcanic Eruption

THE GUARDIAN: Streets and buildings flooded in Pacific nation’s main island following latest eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai

People have been forced to flee their homes, and streets and buildings have flooded, as tsunami waves crashed into Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu, following a huge underwater volcano explosion.

The eruption at 0410 GMT on Friday of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano, located about 65km (40 miles) north of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, caused a 1.2-metre tsunami, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said.

The eruption – captured in satellite images that show a huge plume of ash, steam and gas rising from the ocean – was heard and felt as far away as in Fiji and Vanuatu, where people reported feeling the ground and buildings shake for hours.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or the extent of the damage in Tonga, but videos posted to social media showed huge waves in coastal areas, swirling around homes and buildings.

Communications and power were reportedly out across Tonga’s main island, and the government called up military reserves to assist with the disaster response. With video » | Kate Lyons, Pacific editor | Saturday, January 15, 2022

Get away from shore - US and Japan warn on tsunami: The US and Japan have advised people on their Pacific coastlines to get away from the shore as a precaution against tsunami waves caused by a volcano eruption in the South Pacific. »

Tongan Crown Prince Marries Second Cousin

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tongans have celebrated the royal wedding of the Crown Prince to his second-cousin but the marriage has raised concerns about the practice of marriages between close relatives.

The Pacific nation held a national holiday today for the lavish wedding of the 27-year-old prince, Tupouto’a ’Ukukalala, who is first in line to the throne, to 25-year-old Sinaitakala Fakafanua, who is 26th in line.

The celebrations, which included traditional offerings by commoners of roast pork, marked the end of a 100-day mourning period following the sudden death in March of the flamboyant monarch, King George V.

But the marriage — the first of a crown prince in 65 years – has been mired in controversy over the decision to continue the practice of marriage between cousins. » | Jonathan Pearlman in Sydney | Thursday, July 12, 2012