Pacific nations concerned – after volcanic eruption near Tonga: Tsunami reaches Japan – News

• The eruption of an undersea volcano near the island of Tonga has triggered tsunami warnings for much of the Pacific Ocean.
• The local meteorological agency said a tsunami warning has been issued for all of Tonga.
• A tsunami hit Japan late Saturday night, with the National Meteorological Agency warning of possible three-meter waves.

Local media reported that tsunami waves have inundated property on the main island of Tongatapu in the Tonga archipelago after the eruption of the Hongga-Tonga-Hongga-Hapai volcano. It rained ashes of ashes and telephone connections were disrupted. The extent of the damage was initially unclear in the late evening (local time).

According to media reports, the sixth king of Tonga Tubu. He was brought to safety from the royal palace in the capital, Nuku’alofa. According to the Australian Meteorological Service, a wave with a height of 1.2 meters was observed in the city. Authorities of other Pacific countries have also issued tsunami warnings, including Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand. People have been urged to stay away from coastal areas.

A tsunami measuring 1.2 meters high hit the southern island of Amami Osima at around 11:55 p.m. local time on Saturday, before smaller waves were observed in other areas along Japan’s Pacific coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The east coast of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido and the southwestern regions of Kochi and Wakayama also saw a 0.9-meter wave just after midnight, the agency said.

The US National Weather Service (NOAA) has lifted a tsunami warning for American Samoa. Based on the available data, it can be assumed that the tsunami risk has passed, but there can still be fluctuations in sea level.

The volcano erupted on Friday. According to the local authorities, only small tsunami waves of up to 30 cm were recorded the day before. Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai has been active since December.