Communication difficulties were reported in Tonga following a massive underwater volcanic eruption in the Pacific country, according to local media on Sunday.
In a news conference, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said communication with the country had been difficult due to the eruption but that her country’s Defense Force and the Foreign Ministry were working to help Tonga, the public broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.
“New Zealand's High Commission in (Tonga's capital) Nuku'alofa is in contact with local authorities and damage assessments are underway,†it added.
While phone lines and the internet remain down for part of Tonga, people began using social media to connect with their loved ones, RNZ also said.
“There are unconfirmed reports that the tsunami advisory in Tonga is still active and that Tonga's prime minister has authorized bakeries, petrol stations, and shops to provide necessities,†it noted.
New Zealand has pledged to provide support for Tonga following a volcanic eruption. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters that the New Zealand government has made an initial sum of 500,000 New Zealand dollars (340,000 U.S. dollars) available to provide assistance to Tonga.
"Damage assessments are under way and New Zealand has formally offered to provide assistance to Tonga. A New Zealand Defence Force P3 Orion is on stand-by to provide aerial surveillance subject to conditions including ash fall," said Ardern.
Along with the aircraft flight, New Zealand was considering the deployment of a naval ship should it being needed, said Ardern.
The massive underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga was so powerful it was recorded around the world and triggered a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States, scientists said Sunday.
Dramatic satellite images showed the long, rumbling eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano spew smoke and ash in the air, with a thunderous roar heard 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) away in Alaska.
The US Geological Survey recorded Saturday's eruption as equivalent to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at zero depth.
A 1.2 metre wave swept ashore in the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa with locals reporting they had fled to higher ground, leaving behind flooded houses, some with structural damage, and with small stones and ash falling from the sky.
Waves of around 1.2 metres hit along Japan's Pacific coast with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning waves as high as three metres were possible.
In New Zealand, more than 2,300 kilometres from Tonga, 120 people were evacuated from northern coastal areas and several boats destroyed when a huge wave crashed into a marina.
The National Weather Service Alaska reported the Alaska Volcano Observatory had recorded the eruption in Anchorage and Fairbanks "6,000 miles from the volcano."
The Fife weather station in Scotland tweeted it was "just incredible to think of the power that can send a shockwave around the world" after the eruptions produced a jump in its air pressure graph. ■