New Zealand, Europe Brief News – An underwater volcano in the South Pacific erupted, causing tsunami to hit Hawaii, Japan, and Tonga’s largest island, Tongatapu.
However, New Zealand officials downgraded the threat of further tsunamis on Monday.
Thus, reconnaissance flights were sent to assess damage in Tonga.
Authorities did not report mass casualties from the eruption. However, Australian police had visited beaches and reported significant damage with “houses thrown around.”
Authorities at “impacted coastal areas should monitor… to determine when it is safe to resume normal activities,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The seismic force sent powerful waves crashing into coastlines from Japan to the United States.
The US National Weather Service in American Samoa cancelled its tsunami advisory on Monday, but officials urged caution when entering the water.
In Peru, two women died in Lambayeque due to “anomalous waves.”
Experts Raise Concerns
Experts expressed concern about the sheer size of the eruption and are on the lookout for potentially further volcanic activity.
“It was a remarkable eruption. It was extremely explosive. We’re sort of thinking it’s one of the most explosive eruptions in the 21st century at the moment,” said Shane Cronin, professor of volcanology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
“These very large ones at this volcano happen about once every 900 years. But they have a series of events, and so this may be the first in a series of eruptions.”
In terms of damage, the expert said the main concerns at the moment are about how hard the tsunami hit. A well as the level of ash that has fallen on the island.
