The micronation of Tonga, located in Oceania, suffered from a terrible natural disaster a few days ago. An underwater volcano had erupted and had caused a tsunami that swept the island nation. The tsunami inflicted considerable damage to the micronation, as well as additional harm that was not anticipated. The solitary undersea cable that provides the country’s crucial source of the internet was broken, resulting in serious communication severance among the islanders. The government has stated that all government communication is taking place through high-frequency radios and satellite phones.
The situation is critical, as the only underwater cable will be out of commission for at least two weeks. This stumbling block has arisen because the specialised ship that maintains and repairs subsea cables is far away. Additionally, it will also take a few days for them to locate the source of the harm. Furthermore, due to the damage, the government cannot assess the situation in the country accurately and ask for the required help.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has sounded alarms as the inhabitants of the islands are at a risk from further underwater volcano and tsunami threats. UN reports have shown that an uninhabited island has been completely wiped off due to the recent volcano explosion. Furthermore, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that there is a particular concern about two small low-lying islands, Fonoi and Mango. There was a concern as an active distress beacon had been detected from the islands. According to the Tonga government, 36 people lived on the island of Mango while 69 people lived on the island of Fonoi.
The micronation is reeling from the aftermath of the natural disaster and immediately needs assistance from the neighbouring nations. Although a few of them have stepped up, a lot needs to be done to help the nation to go back to normalcy.
References: The Verge and Reuters.
