Tonga Government Calls Eruption and Tsunami Caused Severe Devastation

The Tongan government said its country had suffered tremendous destruction due to the volcanic eruption that triggered the tsunami in Tonga.

In its first post-tsunami statement, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni's office said Tonga had experienced an "unprecedented" catastrophe. The government said Tonga was shrouded in thick volcanic ash after the eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, 65 km north of Tonga's capital, occurred over the weekend.

As a result of the eruption, large parts of Tonga were also swept away by a 15 meter high tsunami wave, as quoted by The Guardian.

The tsunami reportedly affected small, remote islands. The houses were reportedly badly damaged by the tsunami and only two houses survived.

In the statement, the Tongan government also confirmed three deaths from the disaster. Two local residents and one British national were reported dead.

The eruption also made parts of Tonga foggy due to the ash rain that fell, hampering relief efforts.

Volunteers are known to clear the airstrip to allow planes to carry some aid to the affected areas.

In its latest report, the Tongan government said internet services in the area were completely dead. However, a number of so-called local telephone services are available. He said Tonga was currently trying to restore its communications network.

In addition to the communication network, the government also reported that dozens of houses on Tongatapu island were damaged, while evacuations on the heavily affected islands were underway. He also said the water supply in his area had been polluted by volcanic ash.

A number of flights have also had to be temporarily suspended.

It is known, Tonga was hit by a tsunami on Saturday (15/1) due to the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai underwater volcano.

The eruption occurred for the first time on Friday (14/1) which threw ash plumes as far as 20 km into the air.

Then the second eruption occurred on Saturday (15/1) at 17:26 local time which triggered a tsunami wave as high as 1.2 meters according to the Australian Meteorological Agency.