A new "great eruption" of the Tonga Islands underwater volcano has been detected.
This was announced by the geological monitoring bodies a few days after the one that triggered a tsunami in the Pacific . The new phenomenon was recorded at 11:10 pm yesterday Italian time, according to the alert of the Australian Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (Vaac), based in Darwin.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (Ptwc), based in Hawaii, said it had located large rogue waves in the region: "They may have been generated by another explosion of the volcano in Tonga", since "no earthquakes of size are known. significant "that may have done so.
The volcano, called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, is located about 65 kilometers north of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. Saturday's eruption caused a roar that was also heard in New Zealand, 2,300 kilometers away. It has covered the Pacific islands in ash, cut off the supply of basic necessities and blocked communications with the blackout of phones, internet and electricity. Up to 80,000 people could be in dire straits, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) said, while New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the tsunami caused "significant damage". There are currently no deaths reported.
Information, however, remains scarce, and New Zealand and Australia are sending out reconnaissance planes to assess the extent of the damage.
(Unioneonline / D)