Images reveal devastation in tsunami-hit Tonga

A volcano that exploded on the Pacific island nation of Tonga has almost disappeared from view, new images revealed Tuesday, with swathes of the island nation smothered in grey ash and dust or damaged by a tsunami.

A satellite image shows the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano after its main eruption, in Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai, Tonga, January 18, 2022.

Before and after view: The volcano erupted 30 kilometres (about 19 miles) into the air and deposited ash, gas and acid rain across a large area of the Pacific.

A satellite image shows Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano's SO2 (sulfur dioxide) cloud travelling through the Pacific on January 17, 2022 in this handout image obtained by Reuters on January 17, 2022.

Before and after view of homes and buildings: With water sources feared to be poisoned by volcanic fallout, the Red Cross said it was sending 2,516 water containers.

Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa was shrouded in two centimetres of volcanic ash and dust, it said. Power had been restored to parts of the capital. Local phone systems had been restored but international communications were severed.

A satellite image shows Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano's SO2 (sulfur dioxide) cloud travelling through the Pacific on January 16, 2022 in this handout image obtained by Reuters on January 17, 2022. Courtesy European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-5P Imagery processed by @DEFIS_EU/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY MANDATORY CREDIT

A combination picture shows satellite images of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano's SO2 (sulfur dioxide) cloud travelling through the Pacific on January 14, 2022 (top-L), January 15, 2022 (top-R), January 16, 2022 (bottom-L) and January 17, 2022, in these handout images obtained by Reuters on January 17, 2022.

Saturday's eruption was recorded around the world and heard as far away as Alaska, triggering a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States.