Wellington : New Zealand’s Tonga issued on Saturday a tsunami warning after a violent eruption of a volcano on Friday in Tonga’s Hunga Ha’apai island.
New Zealand coastal areas of the North Island and the Chatham Islands are expected to experience “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore” following a large volcanic eruption on Friday in Tonga, said a statement of the agency.
tsunami This is the largest eruption from the Tongan volcano so far, and the eruption is ongoing, it said.
In Tonga, the warning was issued by the Tonga Meteorological Services, according to Radio New Zealand.
Waves have hit the main island of Tongatapu including Nuku’alofa.
Tongans were alerted to stay away from coastal areas after swirling abnormal tides drew crowds to the Nuku’alofa waterfront, according to Tonga’s news website Matangi Tonga Online.
Meanwhile, in Fiji, the Mineral Resources Department has advised the public, especially those in low lying coastal areas, to stay out of the water and away from the shore due to strong currents and dangerous waves as a result of volcanic eruptions.