SUVA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Around 80 percent of power has been restored in Tonga's capital city of Nuku'alofa, but internet connections remains disrupted after the violent volcanic eruption on Friday and Saturday.
The island nation is sending naval boats to outlying islands to assess the damage from the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano and the consequent tsunami over the weekend, Radio New Zealand reported on Monday.
No casualties were reported on Tonga's main island of Tongatapu, which is covered by ashes, with a number of houses damaged, while significant damage was reported along the western coast of Tongatapu, including many resorts and the waterfront of the capital, the report said.
The capital is in need of water and water storage bladders, as well as food and medical supplies, it added.
On Monday, a New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules is ready to depart for Tonga to airdrop fresh water and other essential supplies in assistance requested by the Tongan authorities.
The C-130 Hercules is the second New Zealand aircraft leaving for Tonga after a P-3K Orion aircraft left Base Auckland to assist in an initial impact assessment of the area and low-lying islands in Tonga.
Meanwhile, an Australian Air Force P8 Poseidon aircraft also reached Tonga on Monday.
In Fiji, the Department of Environment has reported increased sulfur dioxide concentration overnight which could result in acidic rainfall over Fiji, urging Fijians to cover all household water tanks and stay indoors when it rains.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, about 65 km north of Nuku'alofa, is part of the highly active Tonga-Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji. Over the past decades, the volcano has erupted several times. ■
