Underwater volcano causes tsunami

The eruption of the underwater volcano "Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai", located about 30 km south-southeast of Fonuafoʻou island in Tonga, created tsunami waves and sent ash, steam and gas 20km up into the atmosphere. The sonic boom created by the eruption could be heard across the south Pacific, as far away as the USA and the eruption was so large the blast could be seen from space.

Currently, many parts of Tonga are offline with electricity blackouts and no internet, so the extent of the damage and the potential death toll is still unknown. With the capital of Tonga, Nuku'alofa, only 65km away from the eruption, there are concerns about the impacts on the island nation.

A tsunami warning has been released across the Pacific with waves being reported on the west coast of the USA as well as Japan. Waves of 1.2 feet have also been reported as far north as Alaska.

People in Tonga were warned to reach higher ground and footage is emerging of long tailbacks of traffic with people escaping coastal areas as the tsunami hit.

For more on this story, read the article on BBC News.