Australia and New Zealand send reconnaissance flights over Tonga Islands devastated by volcanic eruption

The Tonga islands were cut off from the world since the powerful volcanic eruption last week, which caused a tsunami in the Pacific. New Zealand and Australia sent military reconnaissance planes on Monday to try to assess the extent of the damage from the air and determine what the most urgent aid needs are, according to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

“We know water is an immediate need,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters. In addition to sending reconnaissance flights, Australia and New Zealand have also mobilised C-130 military transport planes, ready to take off for Tonga once the ash cloud has dissipated to parachute aid there, or even land there if the state of the runways allows it.

The eruption, one of the most powerful in recent decades in the world, was heard as far away as Alaska. It triggered a tsunami that flooded the coasts of the United States to Chile and Japan, and killed two people in Peru. Ash and acid rain battered much of the Pacific.

Airport a priori usable

Ms Ardern said on Sunday that the New Zealand government had established satellite contact with the country’s high commission in the capital Nuku’alofa. According to her, no casualties have been reported in the capital, but there is “significant” damage in certain areas.

Australia’s Minister for International Development, Zed Seselja, said Australian police stationed in Tonga had sent a “rather worrying” report, but “one of the good news is that the airport did not suffer any significant damage“, declared the minister. “It is very, very important because as soon as the ash cloud clears we will be able to send humanitarian flights to Tonga,” he added.