A tsunami warning has been issued in several countries, including Tonga and New Zealand, after a giant underwater volcano eruption.
Social media footage from Tonga showed waves washing through a church and several homes. Witnesses said ash is falling over the capital, Nuku’alofa.
Residents of the Pacific Island have been urged to move to higher ground. It is the latest in a series of eruptions of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano. The US has also issued a tsunami advisory for American Samoa, citing a threat of “sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be a hazard along beaches”.
The eight-minute eruption was so violent it could be heard as “loud thunder sounds” in Fiji, more than 800km (500 miles) away, officials in the capital Suva said.
The plumes of gas, smoke and ash pouring from the volcano reached 20km (12 miles) into the sky, said Tonga Geological Services.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai lies about 65km north of the Tongan capital.
In New Zealand, which is more than 2,300km away, officials have warned of storm surges from the eruption. The National Emergency Management Agency said parts of the country could see “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore”. -BBC
Local forecaster Weather Watch tweeted: “The energy release is simply astonishing”, adding: “Reports of people hearing the sonic booms across New Zealand.