The "ocean volcano" hit Tonga hard, and America and Japan are in danger

Parts of Nuki Alofa, the capital of Tonga, suffered "significant" damage during the powerful volcanic eruption that triggered a tsunami on Saturday, but no deaths or injuries were reported, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Sunday.

"The tsunami had a great impact on the northern coast of Nuki Alofa, where large boats and rocks drifted ashore," Ardern said, noting that her government had contacted the New Zealand embassy in the Tongan capital after contacts with the island were cut off due to the volcanic eruption.

West Coast of the United States

For its part, the US Meteorological Department reported that a tsunami warning was issued on Saturday morning on the west coast of the United States, while "limited flooding" was recorded in Hawaii due to the eruption of the Tonga volcano.

The National Weather Service asked residents to leave the beaches and ports in the concerned areas, pointing out that no losses were reported in the American Hawaiian Islands.

California, Oregon and Washington states, as well as Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia, are likely to be affected, according to the National Weather Service.

The Meteorological Authority warned of "the occurrence of floods in coastal and low-lying areas."

On Saturday, the residents of the Tonga archipelago fled towards the heights due to a tsunami caused by a new massive eruption of the Honga Tonga volcano, Honga Ha Abay, with repercussions of hundreds of kilometers.

Fiji officials said the eruption lasted eight minutes and was so loud that it was heard "like thunder from afar" over the Fiji Islands, located more than 800 km away.

tsunami in japan

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings and said waves were expected to reach a height of 3 meters on the Amami Islands in the south. Earlier, waves more than a meter high were recorded there.

Japan Broadcasting Corporation said that no damage or injuries were recorded, and then cut broadcasts to announce the tsunami warning issued by the Meteorological Agency, which covers the entire eastern coast of the Japanese archipelago.

In a briefing, an agency official urged people not to approach the sea until this tsunami warning and other more serious warnings were lifted, and the warnings, the first in more than 5 years, included several areas.

In this context, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it had detected waves of 2.7 feet (83 centimeters) in Nuku Alofa and waves of two feet in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.

Fiji issued a tsunami warning, urging residents to avoid beaches "due to strong currents and dangerous waves".

On Facebook, Tonga's Geological Services posted a post saying that the volcano spewed ash, gas and steam up to 20 kilometers into the air.

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