An Australian aid flight bound for Tonga was forced to return after a COVID-19 case was detected onboard, officials said on Friday. The South Pacific island nation, currently COVID-free, has a strict border control policy.
The aid supplies were moved to another flight that took off on Friday, according to an Australian defense spokesperson.
The first shipment of relief supplies from Australia and New Zealand began arriving in Tonga on Thursday. To keep COVID-19 at bay, Tonga currently requires contactless delivery of aid.
Saturday’s eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano covered Tonga in a thick layer of ash and unleashed a tsunami that damaged buildings and resorts along the coastline. At least 3 people were killed.
A tsunami tore apart areas on the coast of Tonga’s main island
Telephone communication was restored Wednesday, however, damage to the island’s sole undersea internet cable will likely take a month or more to repair.
Tongans have worked for days to clear the island’s airport runway of ash to allow aid flights access.
Water a priority
Officials have said securing clean drinking water is a priority, as ash has contaminated Tonga’s drinking water supply, according to the World Health Organization.
A vessel carrying aid from New Zealand was expected also to arrive in Tonga on Friday. The vessel is carrying 250,000 liters of water and has the capacity to produce 70,000 liters per day with a desalination device. Ash has contaminated Tonga’s water supply, according to the World Health Organization.
An Australian aid vessel is expected to reach Tonga next week. Other aid supplies include emergency shelter, communication equipment and power generators.
International aid efforts mounted
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has said assessment teams have reached most parts of the country, including remote and isolated islands.
“We remain seriously concerned about access to safe water for 50,000 people throughout the country. Water quality testing continues, and most people are relying on bottled water,” he added.
While Australia has donated $1 million for immediate humanitarian supplies, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Friday that cash donations will need to be followed by further support for rebuilding.
“The impact of this volcanic eruption and the subsequent tsunami and the damage the inundation is causing will be an ongoing challenge for Tonga, particularly in relation to infrastructure,” she said.
see/wmr (AFP, Reuters)
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
‘Unprecedented disaster’
Tonga officials confirmed that at least three people died after a massive undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami hit the Pacific nation — what the government called an “unprecedented disaster.” With the country’s only internet cable cut, it remains difficult to understand the extent of the damage through patchy satellite phone connections, surveillance flights and satellite images.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
Smothered in grey dust
Volcanic ash has blanketed Tonga, as seen in this before-and-after image. World Health Organization official Sean Casey said that “the whole country is covered in ash,” adding that water contamination is currently the biggest threat to the population. The UN health agency said around 100 houses had been damaged, with 50 destroyed on Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
The volcanic eruption
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano had erupted on Saturday, sending ash some 30 kilometers (19 miles) into the air. It deposited ash, gas and acid rain across a large area of the Pacific. A tsunami followed the volcano, raising waves in Tonga up to 15 meters (50 feet), its government said.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
Sending help
As communication from Tonga remained severed, New Zealand sent surveillance flights to survey the damage. Several international organizations, including the UN and Red Cross, are trying to send aid, but Tonga’s airport remains closed. Australia and New Zealand said they would send ships with aid — which could take days due to the massive distance.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
Impacts across Pacific: Oil spill in Peru
Large waves from the volcanic eruption are believed to have caused an oil spill in an area rich in marine biodiversity in Peru. Peruvian authorities said that a ship was loading oil into a refinery on the Pacific coast on Sunday when strong waves moved the boat and caused the spill. So far, it is the only known oil spill to have have occurred in the Pacific basin after Saturday’s eruption.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
Impacts across Pacific: Tsunami waves reach Japan
Tsunami waves caused by the eruption spread across the Pacific Ocean and hit Japan’s coastline. Rafts of farmed oysters in Japan’s eastern Mie Prefecture were carried out to sea by the waves.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
Impacts across Pacific: Boats damaged in New Zealand
The impact was felt in New Zealand as well. Waves that swept into marinas severely damaged boats, while others in New Zealand said they could hear the eruption.
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Tonga devastated by volcanic eruption, tsunami — in pictures
Previous eruption in 2015
An eruption in 2015, pictured above, caused the formation of a volcanic cone between the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha’apai. The eruption released dense, particle-rich jets.
Author: Saim Dušan Inayatullah, Farah Bahgat
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/tonga-international-aid-arrival-hampered-by-covid/a-60504730?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf