Tonga: Satellite images capture moment volcano erupts
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Janine Krippner, a New Zealand-based volcanologist with the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Programme, told Business Live: “When the vent is below water, nothing can tell us what will happen next." Ms Krippner said they are concerned about the lack of information they have. The eruption was so powerful that space satellites captured ash clouds and an atmospheric shockwave radiated out from the volcano at close to the speed of sound. A British woman is missing after being swept away in the natural disaster on Saturday and up to 80,000 people, there could be affected. Today, The New Zealand Defence Force sent an aircraft to “assist in an initial impact assessment of the area and low-lying islands”.
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The eruption was so powerful that space satellites captured ash clouds (Image: GETTY)
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Distress signal detected in low-lying Tongan islands
A distress signal has been detected in an isolated, low lying group of Tongan islands.
The UN detected the signal on Monday, prompting concerns for the people living on Fonoi and Mango.
Fonoi has 69 inhabitants and Mango has 36.
In a briefing on Monday, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said: "We are particularly concerned about two small low-lying islands – Mango and Fonoi – following New Zealand and Australian surveillance flights confirming substantial property damage.”
‘Not possible’ to predict size of future eruptions
Experts have warned that the Tonga volcano could explode again within the coming days.
Oliver Nebel, associate professor of Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia said the volcano is “likely to erupt further in the coming days” but that the extent to which it will erupt is not yet clear.
Shane Cronin, a professor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand told New Scientist he "wouldn't be surprised if there were a few more explosive events" in the eruptions future.
However, he added they are unlikely to be as powerful as the initial blast.
Professor Nebel added that it is “not possible” to “predict or even speculate” how explosive they could be.
Tongans wait anxiously for news after power cut
Tongans living overseas are waiting anxiously for news of loved after communications were completely cut off by the tsnumani.
Petilise Tuima told the Sydney Morning Herald that she had not spoken to her family since Saturday afternoon when they were fleeing to higher ground.
She said: “Everyone is calling each other within our Tongan groups, wanting to see if anyone has picked up or heard anything… We are just desperate.”
Sia Adams, a Tongan in Australia, told the BBC she had not heard anything from her family since the tsunami.
She said: “It’s really hard not knowing anything – at the moment we are just waiting like everyone else.”
Here is a 24 hour loop of the eruption
Here is a 24-hour loop of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption.
\ud83c\udf0b Here is a 24hr loop of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha\u2019apai eruption yesterday. \ud83c\udf0b pic.twitter.com/QpnGRhJfRF
\u2014 MetService (@MetService) January 16, 2022
Australian foreign affairs minister announces support for Tonga
Australia’s Minister for foreign affairs has announced support for Tonga, during a visit to Nowra on Monday.
Marise Payne said Australia was working closely with Tonga’s government following the tsunami.
Speaking to reporters she said: “Today we have been able to deploy a Royal Australian Air Force P8-A Poseidon Aircraft to undertake surveillance activity over the affected area, working very closely with New Zealand to work on that surveillance.
“We will be working closely with the Government of Tonga, with Her Royal Highness and the High Commissioner of Tonga in Canberra, to ensure that we are able to deliver the sort of support that we provide to our Pacific family and our Pacific friends,” she said.
“This is a very challenging time.
“We’ll continue to work through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, myself and the Minister of International Development and the Pacific Senator Zed Seselja to ensure that we are providing all the support that Australia possibly can.”
Liz Truss says UK will help with recovery
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said that the UK stands ready to help Tonga with its recovery effort.
In a tweet, she said: “My thoughts are with those caught up in the appalling devastation and loss of life caused by the tsunami in Tonga. The UK stands ready to help the recovery effort and we are working closely with the Tongan authorities.”
\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf4 My thoughts are with those caught up in the appalling devastation and loss of life caused by the tsunami in Tonga.
\u2014 Liz Truss (@trussliz) January 17, 2022
Footage of buildings destroyed by tsunami
Here is some shocking footage of houses being destroyed by the tsunami in Tonga.
The footage appears to have been shot inside a church that has become completely flooded.
Absolutely surreal video from Tonga. A family who\u2019d just finished choir practice when the tsunami hit. pic.twitter.com/MVrNRnHDel
\u2014 Mariner Fagaiava-Muller (@marinerfagaiava) January 16, 2022
Boats capsized in New Zealand following Tonga Tsunami
This video shows footage of boats capsized in Whangarei, New Zealand’s North Island city, following a Tsunami almost 2,0000 km away in Tonga.
Boats were capsized in Whangarei, New Zealand’s North Island city, following the undersea #Volcanic #eruption near the Polynesian island of Tonga. #Colorado #tsunami #explosion #volcano #Tonga #eruption #evacuate #Oceania #violent #tongatsunami #Peru #Chile #USA #US #NewZealand pic.twitter.com/Q05sMUxTc8
\u2014 Journalist Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) January 17, 2022
Tonga eruption causes two deaths in Peru
The volcanic eruption on the Pacific Island of Tonga and the ensuing Tsunami wave has caused two people in Peru to drown.
Peru is more than 6,000 miles from Tonga, underscoring the force and impact of the volcano.
First death reported related to recent #Tonga Volcanic #Eruption & #Tsunami wave are 2 people drowned in #Peru , more than 6,000 miles away underscoring the force and impact of the eruption of the underwater #volcano . #Colorado #tsunami #explosion #volcano #evacuate #Oceania pic.twitter.com/nuXHWhg7yO
\u2014 Journalist Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) January 17, 2022
New Zealand sends plane to Tonga
New Zealand has sent a plane to Tonga to assess the damage caused by the volcanic eruption.
The Pacific islands have been left covered in ash from the volcano, and the eruption has caused power outages.
A body has been found in the search for missing Briton Angela Glover who was swept away by the Tsunami caused by the eruption.
Good afternoon
Good afternoon, I’m Olivia Stringer and I'll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Tonga eruption, for the next eight hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: olivia[email protected]
Twitter: @Livstringer_
Body found in search for missing woman swept away by Tonga tsunami
A body has been found in the search for a British woman swept away in the Tonga tsunami.
Angela Glover ran an animal rescue shelter in Tonga with her husband and was said to have been washed away while trying to rescue her dogs. Her husband survived.
Ms Glover’s brother said to Sky News: “I’ve not even got the words in my vocabulary to describe how we’re feeling at the moment. This is just a terrible shock, that it’s happened to us. We’re ordinary people – stuff like this doesn’t happen to people like us, then it does.”
Flights cancelled due to volcano eruption
Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Quantas were all forced to cancel several flights to islands in the southwestern Pacific, while Fiji Airways and Fiji Link have stopped the majority of all flights for several days.
Fiji Airways and Fiji Link are operating some flights this afternoon to accommodate guests whose flights were cancelled or delayed on January 16 and this morning due to hazardous flight operating conditions from the eruption.
Passengers have been advised to consult their airlines before travelling.
Flooding and localised inundation have been reported in Fiji, Chile, Ecuador, and the USA
Professor Hannah Power, a Coastal and Marine Scientist at the University of Newcastle, says flooding and localised inundation has been reported in Fiji, Chile, Ecuador, and the USA as a result of the tsunami.
She urged communities to keep a close eye on emergency alert services and follow all guidance from emergency services.
WATCH: Tsunami from Tonga’s volcano eruption causes flooding in northern Chile pic.twitter.com/SQ8wtnM06i
\u2014 BNO News (@BNONews) January 15, 2022
The eruption reached at least 30 kilometres in altitude on Saturday
Dr Andrew Tupper, Principal Consultant at Natural Hazards Consulting, said satellite data from NASA confirms that the eruption reached at least 30 kilometres in altitude on Saturday.
He said: “This is one of the highest eruption clouds to have been observed on satellite. At the moment, the stratospheric portion of the cloud is being tracked by MetService NZ and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and is located over north-east Australia, drifting westwards. The cloud base is well higher than the heights aviation normally fly at.”
Dr Tupper said this explosion proves the need for global cooperation on hazards of all kinds. He continued: “Our cooperation as a global community helps us all manage these events, including the impacted countries. But there's lots more to do as we work to manage natural hazard together better globally.”
Lightening strikes increased in the days leading up to the eruption
American meteorologist, Chris Vagasky, studied lightning around the volcano and found it increasing to about 30,000 strikes in the days leading up to the eruption.
On the day of the eruption, Mr Vagasky detected 400,000 lightning events in just three hours. For scale of comparison, during the Anak Krakatau eruption in 2018, there were 8,000 strikes per hour.
He said: “It wouldn’t be unusual to get a few more eruptions, though maybe not as big as Saturday. Once the volcano is de-gassed, it will settle down.”
Scientists struggle to monitor Tonga volcano
Janine Krippner, a New Zealand-based volcanologist with the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program said on-site instruments were likely destroyed in the eruption and the volcanology community are all pooling together the best available data and expertise to predict anticipated future activity.
Aerial photos show island split in two by tsunami
Dramatic images show the aftermath of the underwater volcano eruption.
Satellite images of Tonga have revealed the extent of the damage after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, with the devastation visible from space.
The aerial photos show the island split in two.
Dramatic changes in Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai captured by @planet from mid-Nov until this morning\u2014only a couple of hours before the most recent eruption. #TongaVolcano #Tonga #TongaEruption pic.twitter.com/fATanmdIg8
\u2014 Dr. Tanya Harrison (@tanyaofmars) January 15, 2022
‘The volcano is likely to erupt further in coming days’
Associate Professor Oliver Nebel, from the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash Univeristy in Australia has said the volcano is likely to erupt further in coming days.
But he caveated that by saying: “Without data from the volcano it is not possible to predict or even speculate how explosive these eruptions are going to be."
He said the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano forms part of the ‘Pacific ring of fire’ volcanoes.
He continued: “These active plate boundary volcanoes are explosive and expected to create volcanic eruptions that are powerful. In this case the event was probably enhanced through the submarine nature of the eruption.”
See the action happen from space
See the moment the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted, captured by satellites GOES-West and Himawari-8.
The violent eruption a few hours ago of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha\u02bbapai volcano captured by satellites GOES-West and Himawari-8. pic.twitter.com/PzV5v9apF6
\u2014 Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) January 15, 2022
Urgent search for missing Briton last seen with husband
Angela Glover was declared missing after a tsunami devastated Tonga following a volcanic eruption which triggered shockwaves across the island.
Ms Glover runs an animal shelter in the small country and has now been missing for an estimated 48 hours, her brother said. Although there have been no confirmed casualties, Ms Glover’s brother, Nick Eleini, said he fears for the safety of his sister.
Mr Eleini told The Guardian: “James was able to cling on to a tree for quite a long time, but Angela was unable to do so and was washed away with the dogs, I think four or five dogs.”
Her brother is now flying to the UK from his home in Sydney to be with their mother.
Ms Glover runs an animal shelter in the small country and has now been missing for 48 hours (Image: FACEBOOK)
Good morning
Good morning from London. I'm Rachel Hagan , I'll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Tonga volcano. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @rachelhagan_
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