(Dan Tri) – Tonga has released the latest images showing the devastation of a volcanic eruption 500 times more powerful than an atomic bomb.
Trees fell and houses were flattened after the volcanic disaster in Tonga (Photo: REX).
On January 19, the Tonga Consulate released a series of photos showing trees and buildings flattened and covered with ash after the volcanic eruption.
`Nuku’alofa, the ‘city’ of the Kingdom of Tonga, is covered in ash,` the consulate wrote on Twitter.
The photos were taken as communication lines between Tonga and the rest of the world have been partially restored.
Houses were destroyed after the disaster in Tonga (Photo: Guardian).
Local reporter Marian Kupu said the people of Tonga are in the process of cleaning up ash, but they face a lack of clean water.
`Every house has its own water supply tank, but most of them are filled with dust so they are not safe enough to drink,` Kupu said.
Ash covered Tonga after the volcanic disaster
Kupu also said several villages in western Tonga suffered heavy damage.
The remaining rubble in Tonga after the disaster (Photo: Guardian).
The first shipment of international aid will arrive in Tonga on January 20, after a New Zealand Defense Force plane carried `water tanks, temporary shelter kits, generators,
Before that, the plane remained on standby until ash was cleared from the international airport in Tonga.
Ash and dust from volcanic eruptions cover islands in Tonga (Photo: Guardian).
Chinese President Xi Jinping also said that Beijing is ready to support Tonga as much as possible.
The United Nations said about 84,000 people, more than 80% of Tonga’s population, were severely affected by the disaster.
Scenes of destruction in Tonga after the volcanic disaster
`They have been affected by losing their homes, losing communication, and having problems with water sources. Clean water is truly the biggest survival issue. Water sources have been polluted, the water system has degraded,` said the person.
Dilapidated trees in Tonga (Photo: Guardian).
Tsunami waves up to 15 meters high devastated Togatapu, Tonga’s main island, as well as the islands of ‘Eua and Ha’apai during the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption in Tonga on January 15.
The most intense volcanic eruption of the 21st century, like an `atomic bomb` in Tonga
Experts estimate that the volcanic explosion in Tonga was 500 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan at the end of World War II. The eruption sent ash flying 20 km high and created
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