The Director General of Tonga Cable Limited believes, however, that the cable can be repaired by February 20.
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Islands still cut off from the world. The volcanic eruption in the Tonga archipelago tore through an 80 kilometer stretch of undersea cable (out of a total of 840 kilometres), complicating efforts to reconnect the kingdom to the Pacific, according to the company in charge of the repairs.
After battling bad weather last week, the repair vessel is now trying to salvage sections of cable from waters up to 2.5 kilometers deep. He said one section has been moved five kilometers, another is buried under 30 centimeters of silt, and a piece of cable more than 55 kilometers long is still lost at the bottom of the sea.
Despite the difficulties, the managing director of Tonga Cable Limited expressed optimism that the cable could be repaired by February 20. Plans are underway to create a “mini-system” to bridge the 80 kilometer gap. International humanitarian aid continues to arrive. This week, two Chinese navy ships delivered 1,300 tons of supplies, including 500 prefabricated houses.