22 Feb 2018

Australian and NZ workers helping restore Tonga power

8:19 pm on 22 February 2018
Power lines down in Vava'u following Cyclone Winston

Power lines down in Vava'u following Cyclone Winston Photo: Oxfam NZ

Australia has sent 10 technicians to Tonga to help restore power following the destruction caused by Cyclone Gita.

The government says in a statement that 80 percent of the homes in Tonga remain without power after the storm 10 days ago.

Australian technicians, together with a team from New Zealand, will assist Tonga Power to restore the country's critical electrical infrastructure.

The team travelled to Tonga on an Australian Defence Force jet, the sixth such flight transporting humanitarian supplies and defence and civilian personnel since the cyclone hit.