Volcanic ash delays aid to Tonga as scale of damage emerges

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — 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 is preparing 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. Ash was also disrupting satellite calls, while communications remain limited due to the apparent severing of an undersea fiber-optic cable. Two deaths have been confirmed on Tonga. The tsunami also crossed the Pacific, causing two deaths and an oil spill in Peru.