Planes and ships bring aid to tsunami-ravaged Tonga


Planes carrying aid from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan reached Tonga over the weekend, providing food, water, medical supplies, and communication equipment to the isolated, tsunami-ravaged archipelago, ABC News reported.
It was initially impossible to deliver aid by air because all of the archipelago's airports were either damaged in the disaster or closed due to ashfall.
One Australian aid flight had to abort its mission mid-flight Friday after it was discovered that a person on board had tested positive for COVID-19.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tonga has so far remained almost entirely free of the virus. The country's only confirmed case to date was detected in an air traveler from New Zealand in October, NPR reported.
The Royal New Zealand Navy's largest ship, NMNZS Aotearoa, arrived Friday, carrying a load of fresh water and a desalination plant capable of purifying 70,000 liters per day.
According to Reuters, Tonga's islands remain blanketed in ash and largely cut off from the outside world as a result of damage to their primary submarine cable.
Tonga was struck by a tsunami and covered with ash after an undersea volcano erupted 40 miles south of the capital city on Jan. 15. At least three people were killed.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
The Last of Us, series two: 'post-apocalyptic television at its peak'
The Week Recommends Second instalment of hit show is just as 'gutsy' and 'thoughtful' as the first
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
Everything you need to know about your P45
The Explainer The document from HMRC is vital when moving jobs
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK
-
6 stellar noctourism adventures
The Week Recommends After the sun sets, the fun begins
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK
-
Global plastics summit starts as COP29 ends
Speed Read Negotiators gathering in South Korea seek an end to the world's plastic pollution crisis, though Trump's election may muddle the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US