There has been a major volcanic eruption in Tonga, an island nation of Oceania. The ash cloud that was fired was seen from space, and the tsunami it caused also hit South America, more than 10,000 kilometers away, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
An eruption took place on Sunday, January 16, in the Hungatong-Hungahapaya volcano on Tongatapu Island, 65 kilometers from the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa. An ash cloud rose from the volcano, covering a large area around it and was well visible in satellite imagery taken from the Earth’s artificial satellites.
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The eruption has also caused tsunamis in the Pacific. The coast of Tongatapu itself has been washed by waves more than a meter high, and two people have drowned in unusually high waves on the Pacific coast of South America, more than 10,000 kilometers from the volcano.
As the telephone and internet lines connecting Tonga with the outside world have been damaged by the natural disaster, the extent of the damage and casualties can only be guessed at this time. Australia and New Zealand have sent reconnaissance planes and Tonga to find out more about what happened in the remote Oceania country on Sunday.
The Kingdom of Tonga is an island nation in a remote area of the Pacific Ocean with a population of 100.2 thousand.
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