New Zealand issues tsunami warning after undersea volcano erupts in Tonga

In the wake of a massive undersea volcano erupting, New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) announced a tsunami warning on Saturday. After a large volcanic eruption took place, New Zealand's emergency management agency issued an advisory and said coastal areas on the north and east coast of the North Island and the Chatham Islands are likely to witness "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore." Notably, this is one of the largest eruptions of the Tongan volcano in its history, the agency said.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries or the scale of the damage caused by the volcano because of the disturbed communications with the island nation. However, videos circulating on social media show huge waves traveling ashore in coastal areas, destroying homes and buildings. Meanwhile, New Zealand military personnel are closely monitoring the situation and are prepared to reach out for rescue and assistance.

New Zealand: NEMA issues tsunami warning after volcano eruption in Tonga

The images captured by satellite show a huge eruption above the blue Pacific waters. An alert notice was issued for all the archipelago and data from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre recorded waves of 80 centimeters, said the Tonga Meteorological Services. Meanwhile, the local authorities in the island nations of Fiji and Samoa also issued alerts, warning people to not go near the shoreline. Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency stated there may be a slight surge of water near the Japanese coasts.

(Image: AP) 

As per reports, police and military troops evacuated hundreds of residents to safer zones, including Tonga’s King Tupou VI, who was residing in his palace near the shore. In the series of volcanic eruptions, the explosion of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano was the latest. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said late Saturday that it appears that the threat to American Samoa has passed, and minor sea fluctuations will also soon fade away. 

Tonga is home to about 105,000 people. The volcanic eruption took place around 64 kilometers (40 miles) north of the capital, Nuku’alofa. Earlier, in 2014 and 2015, a series of volcanic eruptions occurred in the area, and a small new island was created. However, the eruptions disrupted international air travel to the Pacific archipelago for a few weeks.

(With inputs from AP)