The eruption of the submarine volcano also affected the Czechia, a pressure wave was recorded in Prague
The Hunga Tonga submarine volcano – Hunga Ha’apai, which lies about 65 kilometers from the archipelago metropolis, erupted early Saturday morning CET. Satellite images showed a huge cloud of ash, steam and volcanic gases rising to a sea level of about 20 kilometers above sea level.
The eruption lasted eight minutes and was so loud that it was described as a distant roar by the inhabitants of 800 distant Fiji. According to the AP, the people of Alaska also heard the sonic bang. The tsunami caused by the explosion hit the coasts of Tonga, Fiji and American Samoa, as well as Japan and the United States.
According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the pressure wave also came to Prague. “Yesterday evening, a pressure wave caused by an eruption of approx. Hung Tong Tong Volcano, 1,700 km away. The pressure wave then came from the other side on the other side a longer way around the globe, “the institute wrote.
The eruption of the volcano disrupted internet and telephone connections throughout Tonza, so it is not easy to assess the damage that the eruption of the archipelago could have done, said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
“Communication with Tonga remains very limited … (City) Nuku’alofa has covered clouds of volcanic dust, but otherwise the situation is calm and stable,” she said. According to the Prime Minister, the ships and buildings directly on the coast are particularly damaged, and there are also problems with drinking water due to the fall of volcanic ash.
According to Ardern, nothing is known about the situation on some other islands, because it is impossible to connect with anyone there. Due to the volcanic dust, even a New Zealand monitoring plane could not take off, which could assess the condition from the air.
Communication is failing due to a broken submarine cable, government websites are still out of date. Australian Foreign Development and Pacific Minister Zeda Seselji, a spokeswoman for Reuters, said the government had taken an emergency meeting in Tonza and was contacting its partners.
“I am following the situation on Tonz with concern. The UN authorities in the Pacific are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to provide assistance if they do, ”António Guterres wrote on Twitter.