Australia: no large numbers of victims in Tonga after volcanic eruption

Communication with the island group of Tonga is minimal, because a communication cable was damaged by the eruption.

“At the moment – fortunately – we have no reports of large numbers of victims. That is of course very good news. But there is still very little to no information from the outer islands of the archipelago,” said an Australian minister.

Australia sends a reconnaissance plane to Tonga to assess the damage. Meanwhile, relief efforts are underway.

Tsunami’s

Yesterday, a powerful eruption of a volcano near Tonga in the Pacific Ocean caused tsunamis. In Peru, more than 10,000 kilometers from Tonga, two women drowned on the beach due to abnormal waves, Peruvian authorities report. Dozens of people had to be rescued on the southern Peruvian coast. Here were minor floods.

The eruption of the volcano near Tonga was so great that it could be measured anywhere in the world by difference in air pressure. The eruption also caused a tsunami, which was registered in many countries in or on the Pacific Ocean.