Underwater volcano erupts in Pacific Ocean. King of Tonga evacuated from palace
An underwater volcano, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai, located in the Polynesian islands region, has erupted in the Pacific Ocean, the New Zealand publication RNZ reports. The eruption lasted about eight minutes, sending out a column of ash about five kilometres across and about 20 kilometres high, the Geological Survey of Tonga, the closest country to the volcano, told RNZ. After the eruption, waves over a meter high began to hit the coast of the Tongan Islands.