The threat of a tsunami in the Pacific has passed, after a powerful eruption of an underwater volcano on Saturday off Tonga, monitoring agencies report.
Footage shared on social media shows water pouring through a church and several private houses, while eyewitnesses say ash is falling over the capital, Nuku'alofa.
Residents were previously warned of the danger of cumani, which is why they headed to higher areas.
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Hapai volcano caused earthquakes across the South Pacific.
The capital of Tonga is only 65 kilometers from the volcano.
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One of the residents, Mere Taufa, says that the eruption occurred while she was preparing dinner with her family, and that her brother thought that bombs were exploding nearby.
"First, instinctively, I jumped under the table for cover, I grabbed my younger sister and screamed at my parents and the rest of the family to do the same," she told a New Zealand portal.
In the next moment, says Taufa, water rushed into her home.
"You could hear screams everywhere, people were looking for a safe place, shouting to others to go to areas at a higher altitude," she added.
Smoke made of gas and ash from the volcano reached a height of 20 kilometers, the Geological Survey of Tonga announced.
Tsunami videos out of Tonga 🇹🇴 this afternoon following the Volcano Eruption. pic.twitter.com/JTIcEdbpGe
- Jese Tuisinu (@JTuisinu) January 15, 2022
The eight-minute eruption was so powerful that even in Fiji - more than 800 kilometers away - "loud thunder" could be heard, according to officials in the capital Suva. The Fijian government issued a tsunami warning and opened evacuation centers for people from coastal towns. .
Officials in New Zealand, 2.300 kilometers away, warned of storm surges.
The National Emergency Service announced that coastal areas in the north and east of the North Island were experiencing "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable gusts on the coast".
The local weather agency said: "The amount of energy released is staggering - we are receiving reports from people who have heard sonic booms in New Zealand."
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