Last month large parts of Tonga were left without internet when an undersea cable was broken. It’s a scenario that is far more common than is understood
It was the opening days of 2022, in the aftermath of a huge volcanic eruption, when Tonga went dark. The underwater eruption – 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima – sent tsunami waves across Tonga’s nearby archipelago and blanketed the island’s white coral sands in ash.
The strength of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai eruption severed internet connectivity with Tonga, causing a communication blackout at just the moment that a crisis was unfolding.
About Author
More Stories
Bizarre Australian mole even more unusual than first thought, new research reveals
Male mosquitoes to be genetically engineered to poison females with semen in Australian research
Breakthrough drugs herald ‘new era’ in battle against dementia, experts predict