The Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai erupted on Saturday
(Picture: Screenshot)A giant underwater volcanic eruption has caused tsunami waves to hit the Pacific country of Tonga
Tonga Geological Services said gas smoke and ash plumes reached 20km into the sky when the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano occurred at 0410 GMT and the eight-minute initial eruption was heard across the South Pacific, reportedly as far as New Zealand and Australia.
Social media footage and images captured the scene as people fled to safety.
Meanwhile, communications and power were reportedly out across Tonga’s main island.
Here are 10 images and videos showing what took place:
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Tongan eruption from boat.#Tonga #Tsunami pic.twitter.com/Ls64vq1YU4
— Lynn Schore (@LynnSchore) January 15, 2022
This is some scary shit in Tonga… Tsunami incoming and already no communication to Island, so people unable to check in with loved ones. Fingers crossed everyone is ok. pic.twitter.com/Vui6DwihUa
— Scott M (@Chimp_83) January 15, 2022
Huge volcanic eruption near Tonga. Reports of tsunami there and it's gone pitch black. Lots of lightning too. #tonga pic.twitter.com/Eia4fidPRc
— Rick Threlfall (@RickThrelfall) January 15, 2022
It is literally dark in parts of Tonga and people are rushing to safety following the eruption. 🇹🇴 pic.twitter.com/7NoP0y9GCo
— Jese Tuisinu (@JTuisinu) January 15, 2022
WOW. Absolutely insane video from a Fiji Broadcasting Corporation employee of the ongoing Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano eruption, which has caused a tsunami. https://t.co/58UCa6QmbO pic.twitter.com/EO0FnRLqVo
— Scott Stedman (@ScottMStedman) January 15, 2022
Can literally hear the volcano eruption, sounds pretty violent. pic.twitter.com/gX6z2lSJWf
— Dr Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau (@sakakimoana) January 15, 2022
A tsunami hit the island of Tonga after a volcanic eruption. #Tsunami #Tonga pic.twitter.com/trp9PQvsuu
— Aleksander Onishchuk (@Brave_spirit81) January 15, 2022
Tsunami videos out of Tonga 🇹🇴 this afternoon following the Volcano Eruption. pic.twitter.com/JTIcEdbpGe
— Jese Tuisinu (@JTuisinu) January 15, 2022
Prof Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at the University of Auckland, said the eruption was one of the biggest in Tonga in the past 30 years.
“This is a pretty big event - it’s one of the more significant eruptions of the last decade at least,” he told the BBC.
“The most remarkable thing about it is how rapidly and violently it’s spread. This one was larger, a much wider lateral spread, much more ash was produced. I expect there to be many centimetres of ash that have been deposited on Tonga.”
