Japan to allocate more than USD one million to Tonga following volcanic eruption

Tokyo [Japan], January 19 (ANI/Sputnik): Japan intends to provide Tonga with financial assistance of more than $1 million to help the Polynesian island nation deal with the consequences of a devastating volcanic eruption, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said on Wednesday.
"In the state of Tonga, a major volcanic eruption occurred, resulting in many injured and huge economic damage. The Japanese government intends to provide assistance as far as it is possible, and for this purpose will allocate more than a million dollars of aid, as well as deliver food aid," Isozaki said during a press conference.
A powerful underwater volcanic eruption occurred on Saturday beneath the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai islands, 40 miles north of the capital Nuku'alofa. The eruption, considered the world's strongest in the past 30 years, caused a severe tsunami and covered the islands with a thick layer of volcanic ash, claiming the lives of at least three people. (ANI/Sputnik)