Philippines raises alert level at restive volcano after spewing cloud of ash
Manila, The Philippines Reuters A restive volcano in the central Philippines spewed a column of ash at least one kilometre into the sky on Sunday, prompting authorities to raise the alert at Mount Bulusan by one notch and remind residents not to enter the danger zone. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised its […]
Tonga reconnects to world as submarine cable restored after tsunami
Sydney, Australia Reuters Tonga was reconnected to the world on Tuesday following repairs to a submarine cable, officials said, a month after a volcanic eruption and tsunami cut communications to the remote Pacific island nation. “People on the main island will have access almost immediately,” Tonga Cable chief executive James Panuve told Reuters by telephone, […]
Tonga goes into lockdown; COVID cases not at international aid port – official
Sydney, Australia Reuters Two COVID-19 cases in wharf workers in tsunami-hit Tonga were at a different wharf to that used by foreign naval ships delivering aid, a Tongan official said, as the previously virus-free nation prepares to go into lockdown on Wednesday to stop infections. There have been fears an influx of international ships and […]
China, West rush tsunami relief supplies to tsunami-hit Tonga
Wellington, New Zealand Reuters Chinese naval vessels carrying aid are set to arrive in Tonga on Thursday as Beijing shored up its disaster response efforts in the tsunami-hit Pacific nation following a coordinated response by its Western rivals. A navy vessel carrying drinking water and food will arrive from Fiji on Thursday, while two military […]
COVID cases reported on Australian aid vessel sailing to virus-free Tonga
Reuters About two dozen cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among the crew of an Australian warship expected to arrive in coronavirus-free Tonga on Wednesday to deliver humanitarian aid, Australian authorities said on Tuesday. Tonga, hit by a massive volcanic eruption and a tsunami on 15th January, has asked for aid to be delivered without human […]
Tonga struggles with ash, psychological trauma after eruption and tsunami
Sydney, Australia Reuters Families have stopped children playing outside as Tonga struggles to deal with ash and the psychological fallout of last week’s volcanic eruption and tsunami, aid workers and residents said. Communication with the outside world remained difficult on Sunday, with few internet services, and outlying islands still cut off from the phone service. […]
Updated: World rushes aid to tsunami-hit Tonga as drinking water, food runs short
Updated 11:30pm (AEDT) Wellington, New Zealand/Sydney, Australia Reuters More ships and aircraft carrying aid are due to arrive in Tonga in coming days as the international community responds to calls for urgent assistance from the Pacific island nation following a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami. Personnel wearing personal protection equipment, and a load of humanitarian […]
First aid finally reaches Tonga as telephone lines partially restored
Reuters The first aircraft carrying humanitarian supplies arrived in Tonga on Thursday, five days after the South Pacific island nation was hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami that devastated communities and spoiled most of its drinking water. A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules landed in Tonga’s Fua’amotu International Airport, a defence spokesperson […]
Updated: Tongans make contact with world as phone lines partially restored after tsunami; oil spill in Peru an “ecological disaster”
Updated: 10am (AEDT) Reuters Tongans could finally make phone contact with their families and the outside world on Thursday five days after a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami completely cut off the Pacific island nation. The explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, which has killed at least three people and sent tsunami waves across the […]
COVID-19 concerns force UN to prepare tsunami-hit Tonga relief aid at a distance
Reuters The United Nations is preparing to carry out relief operations for Tonga at a distance to avoid a COVID-19 outbreak in the Pacific island nation reeling from a volcanic eruption and tsunami, an official said on Wednesday. All the homes on one of Tonga’s small outer islands have been destroyed and three people have […]