Tongans fear never seeing loved ones again amid communications void

FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows ash covered homes and buildings after the main eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, January 18, 2022. Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - "The worst fear is always that you're not going to see the people that you love again," says Seini Taumoepeau, a Tongan-Australian artist and activist based in Sydney, as she waits to hear from her family after Tonga's volcanic eruption and tsunami.

"The worst fear is the suffering of other people, that's hard to cope with. Probably even more than your own suffering," Taumoepeau says as she holds back tears.