Volcano leaves destruction across Tonga

Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa suffered “significant” damage from a powerful volcanic eruption that triggered a tsunami.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s comments came as Pacific nations and humanitarian groups struggled to establish communications with Tonga, a day after the disasters cut telephone and internet connections, leaving its 105,000 residents virtually unreachable.

In pictures

Ardern said her government had made contact with the New Zealand embassy on the ground.

“The tsunami has had a significant impact on the foreshore on the northern side of Nuku’alofa with boats and large boulders washed ashore,” she told reporters.

“Nuku’alofa is covered in a thick film of volcanic dust but otherwise conditions are calm and stable.”

PACIFIC COUNTRIES ON TSUNAMI ALERT, RESIDENTS FLEE

“We’re working hard to see how we can assist our Pacific neighbours after the volcanic eruption near Tonga,” New Zealand’s Defence Force tweeted.

Internet and phone lines went down at about 6.40 p.m. local time on Saturday, leaving the 105,000 residents on the islands virtually uncontactable.

Fiji watching closely

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’s Pacific Office in Fiji says it’s now monitoring the situation.

The United States Geological Survey recorded Saturday’s eruptions as equivalent to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at zero depth.

The eruptions triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, including in Samoa, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, Chile and the US Pacific Coast.