Mega volcanic eruption off Tonga: first details - 50-year-old hit by tidal wave when she wanted to save her dogs

Created: 01/18/2022, 02:09 p.m

By: Patrick Huljina

The internet connection is cut off, mobile phones only work locally - after the gigantic volcanic eruption off Tonga there is little further information.

Update from January 18, 1:25 p.m .:

A thick layer of ash covers the otherwise colorful South Seas archipelago of Tonga.

The full extent of the massive eruption of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in the Pacific is still unclear.

The communication links remained impaired on Tuesday.

"Communication remains the biggest problem as the internet and international phone lines are still down," the UN agency said.

Tonga: UN confirms two fatalities - first information on extent of damage

The New Zealand government, citing Tonga police, said two deaths had been confirmed so far.

One of the victims is a 50-year-old British woman who was hit by a tidal wave trying to save her dogs, her brother confirmed to the

.

The woman ran an animal shelter in Tonga.

There was initially no further information about the other dead.

After the volcanic eruption, large parts of Tonga are covered with ash.

© Vanessa Parker/dpa

On Tuesday, the UN Emergency Relief Office (OCHA) in Geneva reported that at least 50 houses were destroyed and 100 others damaged by the eruption of the undersea volcano.

According to UN information, the two dead have been confirmed, and the second victim is a local.

Severe damage was reported near the coast.

However, the health facilities are functioning according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The main concern is the thick layer of ash that could have contaminated water reservoirs.

The population was asked to only drink bottled water.

Strongest volcanic eruption in decades: Tonga cut off from the outside world

Update from January 17, 5:11 p.m .:

After the gigantic eruption of a submarine volcano in the South Seas, a British woman apparently died. This is what her family has now announced. The British Foreign Office, on the other hand, announced on Monday that the woman was missing. According to the family, however, the woman is dead. Her husband found the body, the missing woman's brother told

. The woman was caught by a tidal wave when she tried to save her dogs. Accordingly, the couple had been living in the island state for several years.

First report from January 17:

Nuku'alofa - According to experts, the eruption of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai in the South Pacific was the strongest in the world for decades.

Large parts of the island kingdom of Tonga are further cut off from the outside world.

The extent of the damage is unclear.

Likewise the number of dead and injured.

The volcanic eruption on Saturday (January 15) could be heard thousands of kilometers as far away as New Zealand and Fiji - even as far away as Alaska according to some reports.

Tsunami waves have been recorded not only in Tonga, but also in New Zealand, Japan, and North and South America.

Volcanic eruption off Tonga: extent of destruction still unclear

Even two days after the volcanic eruption off Tonga, there is hardly any information about the situation on site. As a result of the seaquake, an important undersea cable was cut, causing the Internet to fail in Tonga. Other communication links were also disrupted. Mobile phones seem to work partially, but only locally and not internationally. This was reported by New Zealand's High Commissioner Peter Lund via Facebook.

"It is a terrible time but Nuku'alofa is still standing, electricity has been restored in many homes," he wrote.

In his authority one can access the Internet via a satellite connection.

According to him, the capital Nuku'alofa was buried under a layer of ash and looked like a "lunar landscape".

The west coast of the main island of Tongatapu, where many holiday hotels are located, is particularly badly affected.

The cleanup is expected to start later this week.

The eruption of the submarine volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was the strongest in decades, according to experts.

© AAP Image/Tonga Meteorological Services/dpa

After volcanic eruption off Tonga: Australia and New Zealand send help from the air

To get an overview, military aircraft from New Zealand and Australia were to observe the situation from the air on Monday (January 17). "Flights operated today will help us identify where there is a need," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. If necessary, aid supplies should be dropped if the airport runway is too damaged. "We know that water is urgently needed," Ardern said.

Australia's Development Minister Zed Seselja said a small contingent of Australian police officers stationed in Tonga had given "rather worrying" accounts of the situation.

International aid organizations are also hardly able to establish contact with their local employees.

"From the fragmentary information we have, the extent of the devastation appears to be quite extensive, particularly on the offshore islands," said Katie Greenwood of the International Federation of the Red Cross.

There are currently warnings of damage to health caused by the ash that has escaped.

Tonga residents are advised to wear masks and drink only bottled water.

Satellite images show the power of the volcano: Two islands can no longer be seen

Satellite images of the eruption suggest the destructive power of the volcano. According to volcanologist Shane Cronin from the University of Auckland, it was the world's strongest eruption since Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991. It is unclear whether the most recent eruption represents the peak of activity – the volcano may stay for weeks or even Years restless, he told

.

"You can compare the event with the Krakatau eruption of 1883," Andreas Schäfer told

. The eruption of the Indonesian volcano was one of the largest in history. Thousands of people died then. The bang was heard on a third of the world, tsunamis devastated surrounding coasts. According to Schäfer, the volcanic eruption off Tonga also caused submarine slopes to collapse, triggering tsunamis.

The geophysicist at the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM) explained that the tsunami waves appeared to have completely cleared two islands. The uninhabited islands of Nuku and Tau, about 65 kilometers from the volcano, can no longer be seen on satellite images taken after the tsunamis passed. One can only roughly recognize the underlying reef, says Schäfer.

Tonga volcanic eruption: Pressure wave also measurable in Germany

The erupted volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai is located north of the capital of Tonga. Nearly a quarter of the Polynesian kingdom's 107,000 residents live in Nuku'alofa. 36 of the 170 islands belonging to Tonga are uninhabited. The volcano is a real underwater colossus: 1800 meters high and 20 kilometers wide, it rises under the water surface. During an eruption in 2009, it broke through the sea surface for the first time. At the turn of the year 2014-2015, it started bubbling again and spewed mud and ash fountains out of the Pacific for weeks.

The full extent of the damage after the volcanic eruption on Saturday cannot be estimated.

The pressure wave as a result of the eruption was also measurable in Germany, and the bang could be heard thousands of kilometers away.

Even the tsunami waves that hit Japan, California and South America were five feet high.

They didn't make it far inland and only caused minor damage.

However, two swimmers reportedly died in the strong currents in Peru.

There are also volcanoes in Germany.

However, the last eruption in the Eifel was around 13,000 years ago.

In autumn 2021, a volcanic eruption on La Palma caused destruction on the Canary Island.