An underwater volcano erupted in Tonga on Saturday, triggering a massive tsunami that knocked out Tonga’s internet and phone lines hours after the incident.
Communications and electricity on the islands have been partially restored, but there are indications that the internet may not be available in the coming weeks due to damage to an undersea cable.
“We’re getting sketchy information, but it looks like the cable has been cut. It could take up to two weeks to get it repaired. The nearest cable-laying vessel is in Port Moresby,” the Southern Cross Cable Network’s networks director Dean Veverka explained.
Port Moresby is the capital of Papua New Guinea and is located over 4,000 km from Tonga.
Telephone and internet communications are extremely limited. The situation in some coastal regions remains unknown.
According to a report by the AFP news agency, Southern Cross is supporting Tonga Cable Limited, which owns the 872 km cable that connects Tonga to Fiji and from there to the rest of the world.
For more information, read the original story on the BBC.