Tonga Underwater Volcano Erupts; Tsunami Warning Up

The US and Japan have advised people on their Pacific coastlines to get away from the shore as a precaution against tsunami waves caused by a volcano eruption in the South Pacific, BBC News reported.

Photo Insert: Hunga Tonga

Japan has warned of waves as high as three meters, and waves of 1.2 meters hit the south of the country. The US warned of strong currents and waves, and coastal flooding. The huge underwater volcanic eruption caused waves of more than a meter to crash into Tonga.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano was heard across the South Pacific, and eventually as far away as the US. Many parts of Tonga, whose capital is just 65km (40 miles) south of the eruption, are covered in ash and are experiencing a near-total blackout of power, phone lines, and internet services. The extent of any injuries or damage is still unclear.

Social media footage showed water washing through a church and several homes, and witnesses said ash was falling over the capital, Nuku'alofa. Videos on social media showed traffic jams as people tried to flee low-lying areas by car. The plumes of gas, smoke, and ash pouring from the volcano reached 20km into the sky, Tonga Geological Services said.

In Japan, the 1.2m tsunami was recorded in the Kominato district of Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture at 23:55 (14:55 GMT) on Saturday. So violent was the initial eight-minute eruption that it could be heard as "loud thunder sounds" in Fiji, more than 800 km away, according to officials in the capital, Suva.

The Fijian government issued a tsunami advisory and opened evacuation centers for people in coastal areas. Vanuatu, another island nation in the Pacific, issued a similar warning.

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