Undersea volcano eruption hits Tonga, capital of American Samoa

An underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday, triggering a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island countries, with images on social media showing waves crashing against houses.

Tsunami waves were observed in the capital of Tonga and the capital of American Samoa, a US-based tsunami monitor said.

The eruption at 4:10 a.m. Universal Time of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai submarine volcano, located about 65 kilometers north of Nukuʻalofa, triggered a 1.2-meter tsunami, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said. that it was still monitoring the situation, but that no tsunami threat had been issued for the Australian mainland, islands or territories.

Gauges observed tsunami waves of 83 centimeters in the Tongan capital Nukuʻalofa and waves of 60 centimeters in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Fiji issued a tsunami warning, urging residents to avoid coastlines “due to strong currents and dangerous waves”.

Jese Tuisinu, a television reporter for Fiji One, posted a video on Twitter showing large waves reaching the shore, with people trying to run from the approaching water on their cars. “It’s literally dark in parts of Tonga and people are rushing to safety after the eruption,” he said.

New Zealand’s emergency management agency has issued an advisory about tsunami activity on its north and east coasts and the areas are expected to experience unusual strong currents and unpredictable coastal surges.

On Friday, the volcano sent ash, steam and gas up to 20 kilometers into the air, the Geological Survey of Tonga said in a Facebook post. It has a radius of 260 kilometers.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said a tsunami warning remains in effect for the US state of Hawaii, where tsunami waves were reported early Saturday.

The center also said there are tsunami advisories for Attu Island in western Alaska and along the California-Mexico border.

In addition, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA) issued a minor tsunami threat for the country’s coasts, for which the government’s National Emergency Office ordered to abandon the beach areas “for the Juan Fernández Archipelago, islands San Félix, from Easter and Chilean Antarctica”.