Tongans make contact with world as phone lines partially restored after tsunami
20/1/2022 7:32
Tongans could finally make phone contact with their families and the outside world on Thursday five days after a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami completely cut off the Pacific island nation. The explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, which has killed at least three people and sent tsunami waves across the Pacific, knocked out communications of about 105,000 people on Saturday. Telephone links between Tonga and the wider world began to be reconnected late on Wednesday, though restoring full internet connectivity is likely to take a month or more according to the owner of the archipelago's sole subsea communications cable. Speaking to Reuters from Nuku'alofa, local journalist Marian Kupu said Tongans were in the process of cleaning up all the dust but feared they may run out of drinking water.
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