Through images taken from space, it was possible to observe the moment when the last eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano sent a mushroom of smoke and ash into the air and a shock wave through the surrounding sea.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said a 1.2-meter wave had been observed in Nuku’alofa, the capital of the Tonga islands.
The consequences of the eruption reached as far as Japan, where authorities reported a 1.2-meter wave on the remote island of Amami and a smaller tsunami elsewhere along the coast. They also warned of possible waves of up to three meters.
In Tonga, residents fled to the heights on Saturday.
“It was a massive explosion”A resident, Mere Taufa, who was at home preparing dinner, explained to the news site Stuff. “The ground shook, the whole house was shaken. It came in waves. My younger brother believed that bombs were exploding near our house,” he said.
A few minutes later, the water invaded his house, and he saw the wall of a neighboring house fall. “We knew right away that it was a tsunami, with the water that reached the house. Screams were heard everywhere, and everyone began to flee towards the heights,” he added.
The eruption lasted eight minutes, and was so strong that it was heard “like distant thunder” in the Fiji Islands, more than 800 km away, officials in Suva, the capital, said.
Victorina Kioa of the Tonga Public Services Commission called on people to stay away “from all the places that are threatened, that is, the beaches, the reefs and all the flat coastlines.”
The head of the Geological Survey of the archipelago, Taaniela Kula, also urged people to stay inside, wear a mask outside and cover the water tanks in case of acid rain.
Similar warnings were also issued in New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, American Samoa, Australia and Chile, where the National Emergency Office warned of the possibility of a “minor tsunami” reaching Easter Island and part of the mainland coast.
In Australia, authorities said parts of the coastline, including Sydney, could be hit by waves. Residents of the surrounding New South Wales state were also advised to “get out of the water and away from the shore”.
The US National Weather Service also issued tsunami warnings for the West Coast, from California to Alaska, predicting waves of up to 60 centimeters, strong currents and coastal flooding.
“A tsunami is underway. Remember: the first wave may not be the largest. Stay away from the shoreline and head for higher ground,” the country’s National Tsunami Warning Center wrote.
So did Canada, which issued a tsunami warning for the province of British Columbia.
Additionally, according to the US weather services, Hawaii was affected by “minor flooding.”
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano is located on an uninhabited island about 65 kilometers north of Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga.
Source From: Ambito
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