Tongans are resilient, says Swiss honorary consul

The Honorary Consul of Tonga in Switzerland, Luka Müller – whose family has long-standing ties to the island nation – describes how residents are starting to clean up after the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami.

He says it will take a while for the country to get back to normal, “but Tongans are very resilient”.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted with a deafening explosion on January 15, sending a tsunami rolling across the Tonga archipelago, killing at least three people and destroying villages, resorts and many buildings. It also knocked out communications for the nation of around 105,000 people.

The first foreign aircraft carrying humanitarian supplies have started to arrive. Of particular concern is access to drinking water.

Müller’s great-grandfather Philipp Gotthard Müller travelled to Tonga 130 years ago and married a local woman. There is still a large Müller community in Tonga. Luka Müller himself lives in canton Zug but maintains strong ties to the archipelago.