Countries located on the shores of the Pacific can blow. The tsunami triggered by the spectacular eruption of a volcano in the Tonga Islands caused “significant” damage in Nuku’alofa, the capital of the archipelago, but no casualties were reported, said Sunday the neo-Christian Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern from Zealand. Importantly, the tsunami threat was declared over.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) clarified at 3 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. Paris time) that the tidal wave threat had “generally passed” for countries bordering the ocean, although slight variations in sea level remain possible for a few hours.
US ‘ready to send aid’
New Zealand will send a military reconnaissance aircraft to fly over the area on Monday if the volcanic ash cloud permits. Communications with Tonga have been cut off since the eruption damaged an undersea cable, but Jacinda Ardern said her government had contacted the New Zealand High Commission in the capital. She further said there was “no significant eruption underway” and ash had stopped falling, but further volcanic activity could not be ruled out.
“Deeply concerned for the people of Tonga recovering from the aftermath of a volcanic eruption and tsunami,” tweeted Antony Blinken. The American Secretary of State also specified that “the United States is ready to send aid to our neighbors in the Pacific”.
Japan affected, just like Peru
Stunning views from space showed the timing of Friday’s eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, on one of Tonga’s uninhabited islands. It triggered a tsunami that flooded Pacific coasts from Japan to the United States to Peru.