Tonga Volcano: A volcanologist explains what we know about this once-in-a-lifetime eruption
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The eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano caused a tsunami, 400,000 lighting strikes and shockwaves that have circled the planet at least twice. Here's everything we know about the Tonga volcano.
The eruption of the submarine Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on Saturday, 15 January 2022 has left thousands people without homes, supplies and internet. On Tuesday 18 January, the Tongan government confirmed the eruption had resulted in three deaths, two of which were local people, and one British national.
As of Thursday, 20 January, it would seem that the volcano’s activity has stopped at the surface, though volcanologists cannot say what is happening under the water.
The volcano’s explosion sent shockwaves as far as Alaska and the UK, and caused a tsunami that affected the shores of Australia, the US and Russia. It has been reported that two people have died in Peru due to flooding caused by the tsunami.
