The Pacific islands around the main island of Tonga are accessible again after the volcanic eruption. New Zealand sends help. Now the fear of Corona is growing.
- The airport on the main island of Tongatapu has been cleared – aid flights can now land.
- A Red Cross spokeswoman warns of “danger from cholera and diarrhea” on the islands.
- Navy vessels from New Zealand and Australia were dispatched with supplies and a desalination plant.
Update from Thursday, January 20th, 2022, 6:55 a.m .: Six days after the eruption of a submarine volcano off Tonga, the airport in the South Seas archipelago is operational again. After the runway was cleared of the thick layer of ash that the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai has blanketed the entire archipelago, a plane carrying relief supplies from New Zealand is en route to the capital, Nuku’alofa, the government said Wellington on Thursday (01/20/2022) with.
In addition to urgently needed drinking water, temporary accommodation, generators, hygiene kits and communication equipment are on board the Hercules machine, said Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. Two naval ships with supplies are also on their way to the archipelago from New Zealand, 2,300 kilometers away. The first could arrive later today, it said.
In the Polynesian island kingdom, in which there have been almost no corona cases *, there is great concern that foreign helpers could introduce the virus. Tonga closed its borders in March 2020 and has since largely isolated itself from the outside world. In order not to endanger the population, there should be no direct contact between the occupants of the machine and the people of Tonga. “The delivery of relief supplies is contactless. The aircraft is expected to remain grounded for approximately 90 minutes before returning to New Zealand,” said New Zealand Defense Minister Peeni Henare.
Tsunami in Tonga: Volcanic eruption now threatens famine
Update from January 19th, 2022, 2:50 p.m .: The Tonga archipelago, cut off from the outside world by the volcanic eruption, was able to clear the runway of the airport on the main island of Tongatapu again, according to UN crisis coordinator Jonathan Veitch. This means that the first aid flights could land in the Pacific state from Thursday (01/20/2022). International communication has also been partially restored.
Practically all 100,000 inhabitants of Tonga were affected. The interaction of volcanic ash and the salt water from the tsunami affected the water supply, and the population urgently needs drinking water and food. Katie Greenwood of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has already warned of the “growing threat of cholera and diarrhea”.
Initially, a blanket of ash on the airport runway prevented relief flights from landing. Two naval vessels from New Zealand with water supplies and a desalination plant could arrive in the archipelago from Friday. An Australian ship with helipads should set off on the five-day trip to Tonga shortly.
Tonga Tsunami: Volcanic eruption now threatens famine
First report from January 19th, 2022, 11:32 a.m .: Wellington – After the eruption of an underwater volcano * , which you could observe yourself from space, all 169 islands in the Tonga region are covered with ash. The eruption was one of the worst in decades. Due to a damaged undersea cable, Tonga is cut off from the outside world and communication takes place via satellite telephone. Even airplanes cannot currently land there because a layer of ash covers the airport’s runway * . Around 200 people with shovels and wheelbarrows are sweeping the site so planes can bring food and drinking water to the Pacific islands.
Australia and New Zealand have dispatched naval vessels to ferry aid to the island kingdom, three to five days away. Three deaths have been reported so far – two Tonga nationals and a UK woman * . The Tongan government described the eruption, which sent plumes of gas, smoke and debris from the volcano up to 20 km into the sky, as an “unprecedented disaster”.
UN official: Good progress on clearance on main island of Tongatapu
Disposing of the ash has proved more difficult than anticipated, but good progress has been made and it is hoped flights can resume soon, UN Representative Jonathan Veitch said in the Tonga region on Wednesday morning (19/01/2022). . “We thought it would be operational (Tuesday) but it hasn’t been fully cleared yet because more ash has fallen,” Veitch told reporters.
Veitch also commended the quick response of New Zealand and Australia in sending relief supplies via naval ships. These would have the ability to desalinate seawater and thus provide the local population with fresh food and drinking water. He pointed out that the ships carried “much of our water and sanitation supplies” and described the situation on the island as “very difficult”.
New Zealand defense minister: ‘takes about three to four days to sail to Tonga’
Peeni Henare, New Zealand’s defense minister, told the BBC his country had recently dispatched two naval vessels which are due to arrive in Tonga in the coming days. “It takes about three to four days to sail to Tonga and they will be carrying large amounts of water, food and medical supplies,” he said.
After the only undersea cable connecting Tonga to the rest of the world was severed in the eruption on Saturday (01/15/2022), communication with the island has largely been disrupted. Since then, many Tongans abroad have been waiting for news from their relatives.
Covid-free Tonga: Authorities worried aid supplies could bring in the coronavirus
Tongan authorities expressed concern that the shipments could spread the coronavirus*. The country only had its first case in October. As the United Nations explained, it is currently unclear whether personnel can be sent to support. Deliveries of water and food are possible, however, as the port on the main island is still functional.
Grocery deliveries were prioritized amid reports that stores were running low on food supplies. Saturday’s volcanic eruption was felt as far away as the US*. In Peru, two people drowned in unusually high waves while beaches near the capital Lima were closed after an oil spill. Tsunami warnings were issued for the eastern coastal regions in Japan, 8,000 kilometers away. (lz) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
Headline list image: © Lsis David Cox / dpa
