Australia and New Zealand have sent reconnaissance flights to the Pacific island nation of Tonga to assess damage from the volcanic eruption. In Tonga, communication has largely failed. As a result, the exact damage on the islands is still unclear.
New Zealand media report that in Tonga, most damage appears to have been done on the west coast of the main island of Tongatapu and in the island’s capital Nuku’alofa.
The submarine volcano near Tonga erupted on Saturday, causing a tsunami. The volcano’s eruption was so great that it was measurable everywhere on Earth by the difference in air pressure. However, the eruption has not yet resulted in many casualties as far as is known.
A British woman from the capital Nuku’alofa is currently missing. She was swept away by a wave. In Peru, 10,000 kilometres from Tonga, two women drowned because of abnormally high waves caused by the tsunami after the eruption.
Tonga is currently free from the corona. However, authorities fear that the coronavirus will also reach the island state with the arrival of emergency aid. Australia and New Zealand have planes ready to send emergency equipment.