Sharjah24 – AFP: Tonga was virtually cut off from the rest of the world Monday after a massive volcanic blast that crippled communications with the Pacific island nation, and experts warned internet connection may not be fully restored for weeks.
It is two days since the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haa'pai volcano exploded, cloaking Tonga in ash, triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami and releasing shock waves that wrapped around the entire Earth.
But still neighbouring countries and international agencies are clambering to try to grasp the scale of the damage, with New Zealand's leader Jacinda Ardern stating Sunday it is believed to be "significant".
Wellington and Canberra scrambled reconnaissance planes in an attempt to get a sense of the damage from the air on Monday, with both also putting C-130 military transport aircraft on standby to drop emergency supplies or to land if runways are deemed operational.
What is known is that the volcanic blast Saturday seriously damaged the ash-covered capital Nuku'alofa and severed an undersea communications cable -- which could take two weeks to restore.
The eruption was recorded around the world and heard as far away as Alaska, triggering a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States.
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