Volcanic ash delays aid as scale of damage emerges

Ash on the roofs of homes and surrounding vegetation, after the eruption, in Nomuka. Pic/AFP

Thick ash on an airport runway was delaying aid deliveries to the Pacific island nation of Tonga, where significant damage was being reported days after a huge undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami. New Zealand's military is sending much-needed drinking water and other supplies, but said the ash on the runway will delay the flight at least a day.

A towering ash cloud since Saturday's eruption had prevented earlier flights. New Zealand is also sending two navy ships to Tonga that will leave Tuesday and pledged an initial 1 million New Zealand dollars ($ 680,000) toward recovery efforts. Australia also sent a navy ship from Sydney to Brisbane to prepare for a support mission if needed.

Communications with Tonga have been extremely limited, but New Zealand and Australia sent military surveillance flights to assess the damage on Monday. UN humanitarian officials and Tonga's government "report significant infrastructural damage around Tongatapu," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

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