Singapore Red Cross pledges $50,000 to aid tsunami-hit Tonga and will launch fund-raising appeal

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has pledged $50,000 towards the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's emergency response to the volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga.

In a statement on Tuesday (Jan 18), it said that the assistance will go towards relief items such as food, water and shelter.

The SRC will also be launching a public fund-raising appeal to aid disaster relief and recovery operations, it added.

An underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Jan 15, triggering a tsunami which has led to extensive damage to the South Pacific nation's small outer islands.

The confirmed death toll stands at two but the true extent of casualties is not clear with communications in Tonga cut. Aerial images show that a thick layer of ash has blanketed the islands.

Tonga's main airport, Fua'amotu International Airport, was not damaged but heavy ashfall is preventing full operations, hampering international relief efforts, wire agency Reuters reported.

Mr Benjamin William, secretary-general and chief executive of SRC, noted that there is currently very limited information on the situation, with communications in Tonga disrupted and no time frame given on restoration.

"Even the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has limited contact with our counterparts in the Tonga Red Cross and is therefore unable to establish the full scale of the disaster and nature of the support they need besides the basic necessities," he said, adding that the SRC stands ready to offer more assistance as it receives further updates on the situation.

Singapore residents who have difficulty contacting their immediate family members who may have been affected can e-mail the SRC for assistance at rfl@redcross.sg