The first death from a massive underwater volcanic blast near the Pacific island nation of Tonga has been confirmed, as the extent of the damage remained unknown Monday.
Tonga remained virtually cut off from the rest of the world after the eruption crippled communications and stalled emergency relief efforts.
Reports claim a British national Angela Glover, 50, was killed in the tsunami. She lived in the Tonga capital with her husband James, Glover’s brother Nick Eleini told British media.
But with phone lines still down and an undersea Internet cable cut, the true toll of the dual eruption-tsunami disaster is not yet known.
Major aid agencies, who would usually rush in to provide emergency humanitarian relief, said they were stuck in a holding pattern, unable to contact local staff.
“From what little updates we have, the scale of the devastation could be immense — especially for outlying islands,” said Katie Greenwood, IFRC’s Pacific Head of Delegation.
Even when relief efforts get underway, they may be complicated by Covid-19 entry restrictions. Tonga only recently reported its first-ever coronavirus case.
The impact of the tsunami wave was reportedly felt as far away in the United States and Japan as reports claimed two people drowned off a beach in Peru. Satellite images showed the island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai has almost been wiped off. The Tongan capital Nuku’alofa was estimated to be cloaked in 1-2 centimeters of ash, potentially poisoning water supplies and causing breathing difficulties.
Tonga remained virtually cut off from the rest of the world after the eruption crippled communications and stalled emergency relief efforts.
Reports claim a British national Angela Glover, 50, was killed in the tsunami. She lived in the Tonga capital with her husband James, Glover’s brother Nick Eleini told British media.
But with phone lines still down and an undersea Internet cable cut, the true toll of the dual eruption-tsunami disaster is not yet known.
Major aid agencies, who would usually rush in to provide emergency humanitarian relief, said they were stuck in a holding pattern, unable to contact local staff.
“From what little updates we have, the scale of the devastation could be immense — especially for outlying islands,” said Katie Greenwood, IFRC’s Pacific Head of Delegation.
Even when relief efforts get underway, they may be complicated by Covid-19 entry restrictions. Tonga only recently reported its first-ever coronavirus case.
The impact of the tsunami wave was reportedly felt as far away in the United States and Japan as reports claimed two people drowned off a beach in Peru. Satellite images showed the island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai has almost been wiped off. The Tongan capital Nuku’alofa was estimated to be cloaked in 1-2 centimeters of ash, potentially poisoning water supplies and causing breathing difficulties.
