Enlarge image
Destruction on the coast of an island in Tonga
Photo: Vanessa Parker/New Zealand Defense Force/AP
The exact extent of the damage in Tonga following the eruption of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai is still unclear.
Photos from reconnaissance planes from Australia and New Zealand show massive destruction.
Three deaths have now been confirmed, but there is still a lack of reliable information from the country, which has been cut off from communication for days.
However, a diplomat from the island state is already worried about the next danger for the residents.
Tonga's Deputy Ambassador to Australia, Curtis Tu'ihalangingie, reportedly told Australian broadcaster ABC that there were concerns about a possible "corona tsunami hitting Tonga" because international aid workers could bring the virus into the country.
Aid organizations want to take precautionary measures
As the "Guardian" reports, the humanitarian workers are aware of the danger.
"We're very careful that our help doesn't cause more problems," Australian Red Cross emergency coordinator Sophie Ford told the newspaper.
According to the report, a quarantine of up to three weeks is currently planned for travelers entering Tonga due to the pandemic.
According to the regulations, goods must also be quarantined.
According to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tonga has approved the arrival of the naval ships Aotearoa and Wellington.
According to the Guardian, Tonga has reported only one infection and no death from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
According to the Our World in Data site, about 61 percent of the country's just over 100,000 residents are double-vaccinated against the virus.
New Zealand had already announced on Tuesday that it would send two ships with relief supplies to Tonga.
It is believed that drinking water is particularly scarce on the islands at the moment, and supplies could have been poisoned by the ash.
One of the New Zealand Navy ships could "carry 250,000 liters and produce 70,000 liters a day through a desalination plant," Defense Secretary Peeni Henare said.
The ships are scheduled to arrive in Tonga on Friday.
A ship should also depart from Brisbane, Australia, on Wednesday.
Some of the islands were apparently completely destroyed by a tsunami after the volcanic eruption.
The government spoke of an unprecedented catastrophe.
James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said the force of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption is estimated to be the equivalent of five to 10 megatons of TNT.
That would be more than 500 times the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
Fua'amotu International Airport was not damaged but was covered in ash that has to be cleared by hand.
Relief flights from New Zealand and Australia could start on Thursday.
Mobile network apparently partly back in operation
Tonga has been largely cut off from communications since the eruption as the volcanic eruption damaged the only undersea cable and will likely take a month or more to repair.
According to Reuters, the mobile phone provider Digicel announced on Wednesday that the network was working again in parts of the island state.
Attempts are now being made to reestablish connections abroad.
fek/Reuters
