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New Zealand, Australia Send Planes to Assess Tsunami Damage Following Tonga Volcano Eruption

© REUTERS / NOAA/SSEC/CIMSSA plume rises over Tonga after the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency on 15 January 2022, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.
A plume rises over Tonga after the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted in this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency on 15 January 2022, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.01.2022
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On Saturday, the eruption of the underwater Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano sparked tsunami alerts across the South Pacific.
New Zealand and Australia have sent planes to assess damage from a volcanic eruption in the Pacific nation of Tonga on 15 January and the tsunami it triggered.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology was the first to report giant waves in the coastal areas of the capital of Tonga. Local residents had to leave their homes as they escaped from the water, climbing up a hill.
The bureau on Saturday reported that the height of the waves in the area of ​​the capital Nuku'alofa reached 1.2 meters above sea level.
A 1.2-meter tsunami was recorded on the coast of the Amami Islands in southwestern Japan and Iwate Prefecture in the northeast of the country.
At least 230,000 Japanese were ordered to evacuate, and at least 10 ships capsized or sunk.
The eruption sent a blanket of ash into the sky, polluting water supplies and cutting off communications.
Evacuations also took place elsewhere in the Pacific: in American Samoa, more than a hundred families were evacuated from villages on the island of Sawaii due to large waves.
Tsunami advisories were also issued for Hawaii, Alaska and the US Pacific coast.
Satellite footage showed the moment of the eruption.
According to reports, the eruption could be heard 2,300 km away in New Zealand.
The eruption of the underwater volcano began on 14 January and lasted more than 12 hours.
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