Tonga volcano: Photos and video give first glimpse of tsunami's impact

Sunday, 16 January 2022

Satellite images captured the moment the undersea volcano erupted.

The first images have started to emerge from Tonga a day after volcano eruptions triggered a tsunami, damaging communication lines in the process.

Boats and boulders were swept inland and volcanic ash has left water undrinkable.

The full extent of the damage is as-yet unclear as power outages and damage to the main undersea communications cable cut communications links to and from the country.

Kiwis have been urged to donate cash rather than goods, due to the difficulties in transporting supplies to the stricken islands.

Photos and videos of the damage in Tonga have started to filter through on social media, while the New Zealand government is yet to make official contact with the Tonga government.

A woman films tsunami flooding a church in Tonga. She had been at choir practice when the volcano erupted.

A New Zealand navy ship is ready to be deployed to Tonga if needed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

* Tonga volcano: NZ Defence Force poised to help, but no direct contact with Tonga Government yet

* Hope among reports of devastation as news dribbles out of Tonga

Pictures and video from Lifuka island in Ha'apai show rubble, trees and rocks scattered across the streets.

A Facebook live video from a woman in Tonga shows water flooding through a church where the woman had just finished choir practice.

1News reports the woman says in Tongan that she can't leave the church in the low-lying village of Patangata because there’s so much water outside and the roads were blocked.

In a press conference on Sunday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there had not yet been any reported deaths, but communication had been difficult.

Initial reports revealed the most damage on Tongatapu – the main island of Tonga, at the northern side of Nuku’alofa – with boats and large boulders washed ashore.

No information was yet known about the outer islands and coastal areas, Ardern said.

The New Zealand Government was in contact with its High Commission in Tonga, and was still urgently trying to find out as much as they could about what was happening on the ground.

A video posted to social media showed huge waves destroying fencing in their path as cars raced away from the shore.

In another, water can be seen rushing into a church, where a choir practice had reportedly been taking place shortly before. Outside the window, water smashes into buildings.

Initial reports indicate the most damage on Tongatapu – the main island of Tonga, at the northern side of Nuku’alofa. Communication difficulties mean little is known about the outer islands and coastal areas.