Responding to the volcanic eruption at the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in the Pacific and the resulting Tsunami that hit Tonga on January 15, 2022, India has announced an immediate relief assistance of $ 200,000 to support rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the Polynesian country.
The Kingdom of Tonga is a close friend and also a partner under the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), the External Affairs said.
India expressed deep sympathy to the government and the people of Tonga for the damage caused by the disaster.
Tonga, an archipelago of 170 different islands, has reported at least 3 deaths. The infrastructure damage was extensive, with water rushing through buildings and ash falling from the sky.
The Tsunami waves stretched far and wide, as far as the Pacific coastline of the United States.
Several satellite images were released showing the extent of damage caused by the volcanic eruption, and experts called it hundreds of times more powerful than the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.