NASA says Tonga volcanic eruption equivalent to hundreds of Hiroshimas

NASA experts claimed the Tonga volcano eruption released explosive forces that rivalled the intensity of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, as survivors revealed how the horrific Pacific blast "messed with our minds" on Monday. According to NASA Earth Observatory, during the January 15 eruption that generated massive tsunami waves, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano ejected debris up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) into the atmosphere. "We believe the amount of energy released by the eruption was comparable to anywhere between five and 30 megatons (five to 30 million tonnes) of TNT," NASA scientist Jim Garvin stated in a news statement.

According to NASA, the explosion was hundreds of times more powerful than the US atomic bomb unleashed on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945, which was estimated to be roughly 15 kilotons of TNT. According to the agency, the explosion "obliterated" the volcanic island around 65 kilometres north of Tongan capital Nuku'alofa. It engulfed the 100,000-person island nation in a coating of poisonous ash, polluting drinking water, damaging crops, and altogether eradicating at least two settlements. It also claimed the lives of at least three people in Tonga and resulted in the drowning of two beachgoers in Peru as unusual waves rocked the South American country.

Peruvian officials declared an environmental catastrophe when waves slammed with an oil tanker unloading near Lima, causing a massive slick to form along the shoreline. The extent of the devastation in Tonga is unknown, as communications to outlying islands were disrupted. According to Nuku'alofa-based writer Mary Lyn Fonua, locals are still coming to grips with the magnitude of the calamity. "It's so much beyond anything anyone here has ever seen," she told AFP. She added the eruption's shockwave screwed up people's heads; they're just getting back to normal now. Fonua stated that the fine grey filth coating everything made life difficult and worried about long-term health consequences.

Japanese, New Zealand, and Australian defence troops have begun delivering vital relief supplies, mainly water while adhering to rigorous COVID-19 regulations to protect Tonga's virus-free status.

Also Read | Explained: True magnitude of the Tonga volcano eruption and what may happen next

Also Read | Spain: Lava engulfs numerous homes as Canary Island volcano erupts

• NASA
• Tonga
• Tonga volcanic eruption
• volcano
• Hiroshima