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In Pictures: Aftermath of the Tonga eruption, tsunami

The images from Tonga show ashen buildings, toppled walls and streets littered with boulders, tree trunks and debris.

Damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, following Saturday's volcanic eruption near the Pacific archipelago.
A damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
Published On 20 Jan 2022

The first aircraft carrying humanitarian supplies has arrived in Tonga, 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.

The explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on Saturday killed at least three people, sent tsunami waves rolling across the archipelago, damaging villages, resorts and many buildings, and knocked out communications for the nation of about 105,000 people.

Telephone links between Tonga and the outside world were reconnected late on Wednesday, though restoring full internet services was likely to take a month or more, according to the owner of the archipelago’s sole subsea communications cable.

The United Nations said that about 84,000 people – more than 80 percent of the population – has been badly affected by the disaster with safe water being “the biggest life-saving issue”.

 

Damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, following Saturday's volcanic eruption near the Pacific archipelago.
Tonga has been inaccessible since Saturday, when one of the largest volcanic explosions in decades cloaked it in a layer of ash, triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami and severed vital undersea communication cables. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
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People clear debris off the street in Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The UN and aid agencies have stressed the urgent need to get fresh water to the islands, after the saltwater from the tsunami contaminated supplies. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
Damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, following Saturday's volcanic eruption near the Pacific archipelago.
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai sent a tsunami crashing into parts of Tonga, which is spread across more than 100 islands, and prompted warnings for countries all around the Pacific. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
People clear ash off a damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga
It also ruptured Tonga’s undersea communications cable, cutting the country of 105,000 people off from the rest of the world. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
Damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, following Saturday's volcanic eruption near the Pacific archipelago.
Limited communications in Nuku’alofa have now been established, but the cable is expected to take at least four weeks to be repaired. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
People clear debris off the street in Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The eruption was the most cataclysmic since 1991 when Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]
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Damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, following Saturday's volcanic eruption near the Pacific archipelago.
A ship from the New Zealand navy, carrying 250,000 litres of fresh water and with the ability to produce 70,000 litres of fresh water a day through its desalination plant, is expected to arrive on Friday. [Marian Kupu/Broadcom Broadcasting via AP]