The government of Tonga confirmed this Tuesday (18) the death of at least three people due to the devastating tsunami caused by a volcanic eruption and which was classified by the government of the country as “an unprecedented disaster”.
In its first official statement since the natural disaster that occurred last Saturday, the government of the archipelago located in the South Pacific said that the eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano caused a tsunami with waves up to 15 meters high that hit several islands.
The three confirmed deaths are a British woman, a 65-year-old woman from Mango Island and a 49-year-old man from Nomuka Island.
According to the statement, which was delayed due to a blackout in communications in the country, all houses on Mango Island were destroyed, and only two were left standing on Fonoifua Island, the two most affected, along with Nomuka.
The government of Tonga has ordered the deployment of two military vessels to deliver humanitarian aid to some of the worst-affected areas. Relief conditions are very difficult due to the extensive damage to the coastal strips and the dense layer of ash that covered the country, made up of 169 islands and inhabited by 105,000 people.
“Water supplies were severely affected by volcanic ash,” the official statement reads.
Aerial footage captured by the New Zealand Air Force’s reconnaissance flights on Tuesday showed a scene of great devastation, with ash covering the ground and significant damage to buildings on the island of Tongatapu, where the capital Nuku’alofa is located.
Other islands such as Uoleva, Nomuka and Uiha show a similar scenario, with severe flooding and ash accumulation, according to images from the United Nations Satellite Center (Unosat).
Two New Zealand Navy ships set sail on Tuesday carrying humanitarian aid to Tonga, where they are due to arrive on Friday. Australia will also send emergency aid, including 250,000 liters of clean water and a desalination plant.
“Smeared from Tonga” says father is missing
Olympic athlete Pita Taufatofua, known in Brazil as “Besuntado de Tonga” for having participated in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games with his bare chest smeared with oil, said his father is missing.
On Twitter, he thanked for the messages of support and announced that he had created a fundraising campaign to help the country. “As I cannot help my family at this time, I will focus on the country as more information comes out,” he wrote.
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