China pledges aid to Tonga in wake of devastating volcano
- Emergency relief including drinking water will arrive at the stricken Pacific Island nation ‘as soon as flight conditions allow’
- Repairs to the Tongan undersea communications cable could take some time, the state-owned operator has warned
02:27
Tonga still cut off from outside world after massive undersea volcano eruption
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the Pacific nation had requested drinking water, food, personal protective equipment and disaster relief equipment, “which will arrive as soon as the local airport resumes operation and flight conditions allow”.
Zhao said the Chinese embassy in Tonga would continue to pay close attention to the situation of Chinese citizens and provide consular protection and assistance in a timely manner.
“At the same time, we also remind Chinese citizens in Tonga and neighbouring countries to pay close attention to the relevant early warning information and strengthen security precautions.”
Tonga has been largely cut off from the outside world since an underwater volcano erupted on Saturday, completely destroying one of its small outer islands and damaging its only undersea communication fibre optic cable.
The eruption also triggered tsunami warnings in some of the Pacific Rim countries including Japan, the US, Canada, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.
Some telephone networks within Tonga have been restored, and Australia and New Zealand are assisting with satellite calls but it could be some time before the undersea cable is back in operation.
