While Tonga’s tsunami warning has since been cancelled, Thursday’s evacuation efforts revealed a repeated pattern of fleeing residents’ efforts being crippled by severe traffic jams and long queues.
Arrow 2: An oncoming vehicle is forced to veer closer to the queued cars to avoid a vehicle driving in the wrong lane.
Arrow 3: A car is seen driving on the wrong side of the road, near the footpath, in an attempt to bypass the traffic.
Unconfirmed reports suggest waves reached Tonga’s remote northern Niuas islands late Wednesday. Authorities have yet to confirm these claims.
The tsunami alert triggered by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s eastern coast led to desperate drivers spilling onto footpaths and even into opposing lanes—repeating chaos seen in past emergencies.
A Facebook video appeared to show a vehicle driving in the opposing lane while traffic queued on the correct side.
When an oncoming vehicle approached, it was forced to squeeze toward the queued cars, pushing the original vehicle further onto the footpath of the wrong lane. Kaniva News was unable to confirm the authenticity of the video or determine when it was taken.
Local journalist Faka’osi Maama described the chaotic scenes during a PMN Tonga radio show: “Cars were barely moving—some drivers resorted to using footpaths just to get through.”
He admitted to doing the same, adding: “I had to drive on footpaths too to reach my stranded passengers in Fanga. I apologize, but there was no other way.”
Reports reveal that many in Tongatapu’s coastal areas began fleeing even before official warnings.
World Bank Flags Congestion Crisis
The evacuation struggles echoed last year’s challenges, when World Bank staff observed severe traffic bottlenecks during a tsunami evacuation.
Deputy PM Taniela Fusimalohi previously said that World Bank staff were in Tonga to advance plans for a bridge connecting Nuku’alofa with eastern Tongatapu via Folaha and Siesia – a critical project to ease traffic congestions.
With Pacific-wide alerts now canceled, questions linger over Tonga’s ability to manage mass evacuations amid recurring traffic crises.
