Australia delivers water, telecommunications aid

Three flights from Australia carrying food, water, medical supplies and telecommunications equipment landed in Tonga, as the Pacific nation grapples with the aftermath of an underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami. Planes from other nations have also brought sorely needed aid to the Tongan people, said Zed Seselja, Australian minister for international development and the Pacific. The first such aid arrived Thursday, after the main airport runway was cleared of ash spewed when the nearby Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted a week ago. The explosion also set off a Pacific-wide tsunami that smashed boats in New Zealand and caused an oil spill as far as Peru.