Tonga volcanic eruption: Distress signal detected amid disrupted communication lines

Days after external communication lines get disrupted due to the massive undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga, a distress signal was detected on Monday from the low-lying area of the Pacific Island, assuring that diaspora families anxiously await news.

As per reports, the United Nations (UN) identified the distress signals from Ha'apai islands with destruction reported in Nomuka. This has also raised concern for the Fonoi and Mango islands, which are inhabited by a total of 36 and 69 people. The news comes as most of the communication channels remain soiled since Saturday after the cables were broken due to the sonic volcanic eruption in the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai mountain, triggering widespread Tsunami alerts along the Pacific coastline.

While the shockwave has damaged significant property with plumes of ash deposited on the Tongan island, communication cables also faced the wrath of the magnificent boom, cutting off all external channels. According to Southern Cross Cables, a company that operates undersea cable networks across the region, informed a potential "cable break" around 37km off Tongan coast, The Guardian reported.

While a repair has been dispatched from Papua New Guinea, the expert stated that undersea breaks are more difficult and time-consuming and is likely to take "one to two weeks before they have repaired the cable, conditions willing."

While pictures surfaced online showing the impact of a rise in water levels after the volcanic eruption, Tongan authorities are yet to put together the tally of casualties. Nevertheless, as per reports, a British resident Angela Glover (50) was killed in the tsunami in Tonga.

Peru's government claimed two people drowned in the sea. New Zealand and Australian governments have currently deployed surveillance flights to assess loss of life and property. On Monday, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination group said that an imminent threat of more volcanic activity looms currently.

[satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by Japan Meteorological Agency shows an undersea volcano eruption, right, at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, Jan. 15. Image: AP]

New Zealand, Australia prompt rescue response

The undersea volcanic eruption in the Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai mountain occurred on Saturday with a never-before observed intensity. The explosive eruption was heard from Japan to California with its impact seen across the Pacific coastline. In addition, the sonic blast was recorded by Japanese weather satellites, which also showed the ripple effect in a cloud of thick smoke. As per satellite images, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai has been completely wiped out.

[New Zealand Defense Force, an Orion aircraft is prepared at a base in Auckland. Image: AP]

As disrupted communication has kept the island slow in rescue operations, New Zealand and Australia have stepped forward to expedite the process.

While Australia has put its Naval ship, HMAS Adelaide, on standby, New Zealand informed that its C-130 aircraft was ready to fly out to Tonga for immediate rescue operations. In addition, Australian Defense Force's Royal Australian Air Force P-8 Poseidon aircraft has also departed from Amberly to assist the Tongan government, AP reported.

(Image: Shutterstock)