Aerial Images From Australian Surveillance Flight Show Damage on Tongan Islands

2 年前

Images captured by the Royal Australian Air Force on Monday, January 17, show a blanket of ash covering areas of several Tongan islands.

Images taken on the P-8A Poseidon show damage to a port in the Tongan capital of Nuku`alofa. Ash can be seen covering areas on Uiha and O’ua islands, as well as the runway of Lifuka Island Ha’apai Airport.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Saturday evening, January 15, triggering tsunami waves up to 15 meters, according to information released by the Tongan government.

At least three people were killed, including a British national, a woman from Mango Island and a man from Nomuka Island. The government said a number of injuries had also been reported.

Dozens of properties were damaged across the islands, with all houses on Mango Island completely destroyed. Water supplies were seriously affected by volcanic ash, according to the government. Credit: Australian Defence Force via Storyful