Tonga volcano eruption: Satellite images capture destruction in South Pacific islands

New satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies on Tuesday morning shows the aftermath and damage caused by a large eruption of an undersea volcano in the South Pacific nation of Tonga.

New satellite imagery captured on Tuesday morning shows the aftermath and damage caused by a large eruption of an undersea volcano in the South Pacific nation of Tonga. Continuous smoke kept rising from the underwater Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai (HTHH) volcano before the eruption on January 15.

Tsunami waves were noticed across the Pacific Ocean as the eruption sent a huge plume about 30 kilometres into the sky. Today’s satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows the destruction of the volcanic island as well as the volcanic debris floating in the ocean. Pictures also show land and trees in the nearby areas coated with ash and damage inflicted by the undersea volcanic eruption and tsunami. Damages near the main port facilities in Nuku’alofa, possibly caused by the tsunami, are also observed in today’s pictures.