Distress Beacon Detected From Smaller Tonga Island, Death Toll Rises to 2

The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga, which triggered a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations, is seen in an image from the NOAA GOES-West satellite taken at 05:00 GMT on Jan. 15, 2022. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via Reuters

The United Nations reported Monday that a distress beacon had been detected from a low-lying Tongan island following Saturday’s massive volcanic eruption, which triggered a tsunami that has killed at least two people.

“An active distress beacon had been detected from Mango,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, adding that the Tongan Maritime Force had been deployed to the island on Sunday.