Rescuers can still get little, if any, aid to the hardest islands hit by the underwater Tongan volcanic eruption and the subsequent tsunami that followed. Some islands are wholly covered in mud, ash, or both, so rescuers fear that the current death toll of 2 could go dramatically much higher.
Tonga tsunami: Runway ash hampers relief efforts as scale of damage emerges
From www.bbc.co.uk
2022-01-18 07:38:12
Excerpt:
Ash cloaking a runway has hampered relief efforts to Tonga, as the scale of the damage from a volcanic eruption and a tsunami becomes clear.
New Zealand is trying to send clean drinking water and other supplies but planes cannot land at the main airport.
Some of Tonga’s small outlying islands have suffered substantial damage, aid agencies say.
Two people have been reported dead, but with communications limited there are fears the true toll could be higher.
