Large waves crashed ashore in Tonga yesterday after a massive volcanic eruption that was heard in neighboring countries triggered the area’s second tsunami in as many days.
“A 1.2 meter tsunami wave has been observed at Nukualofa,” the Australian Bureau of Meteorology wrote on Twitter.
The maximum height of the tsunami wave recorded following Friday’s explosion was 30cm.
The latest eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano came just a few hours after Friday’s tsunami warning was lifted.
It lasted at least eight minutes and sent plumes of gas, ash and smoke several kilometers into the air. Residents in coastal areas were urged to head for higher ground.
The eruption was so intense, it was heard as “loud thunder sounds” in Fiji, more than 800km away, officials in Suva said.
Tongan Public Service Commission Oversight Division Deputy Secretary Victorina Kioa on Friday said that people should “keep away from areas of warning which are low-lying coastal areas, reefs and beaches.”
Tongan Geological Services Director Taaniela Kula urged people to stay indoors, wear a mask if they have to go outside, and cover rainwater reservoirs and rainwater harvesting systems.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a “tsunami advisory” for American Samoa, saying that there was a threat of “sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be a hazard along beaches.”
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano sits on an uninhabited island about 65km north of the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa.
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