Tonga Eruption More Powerful Than Atomic Bomb – NASA

A volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered a tsunami was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima during World War Two.

This is according to NASA which says the eruption “obliterated” a volcanic island north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.

Tonga says more than four-fifths of the population has been affected by the tsunami and falling ash.

NASA says the eruption was so powerful all the new land is gone, along with “large chunks” of the two older islands.

Before the eruption, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic island was two separate islands joined by new land formed in 2015.

In the immediate aftermath of the eruption and tsunami, there were fears that water sources had been polluted by the thick blanket of ash, increasing the risk of diseases like cholera and diarrhoea.

However, officials noted that testing in recent days had cleared ground water and rainwater as safe to drink.

But fine volcanic ash and emissions continue to pose a public health risk and exposure could potentially cause breathing difficulties, affect the cardiovascular system, and irritate the lungs, eyes and skin.

In an update, the government said 62 people on Mango, one of the worst-hit islands, had to be relocated to the outer island of Nomuka “after losing their homes and all of their personal belongings”.

The government added however, that many of those residents could be moved again to the main island Tongatapu due to a lack of food and supplies.