Two people drowned off the coast of Peru after unusually high waves were recorded in several coastal areas following the eruption of an underwater volcano on Saturday in Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean.
Peruvian police said on Twitter that the two victims were found dead by police officers at a police station on Naylamp beach, in the Lambayeque region of the country’s north coast. The statement said that “the waves were abnormal” in the area and that the beach had been declared unsuitable for bathers.
Local media reported that the victims were not bathers, but two women who were walking near the beach inside a vehicle, which was dragged by the water. The driver managed to get out, but his wife and another young woman drowned.
Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci) said in a statement on Sunday (16) that the country’s emergency level was 3 out of 5, and that the unusually high waves off the Peruvian coast do not technically constitute a tsunami.
More than 20 Peruvian ports were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure amid warnings that the volcano was causing unusually high waves, Indeci added.
TV footage showed several homes and businesses flooded by seawater in coastal areas in northern and central Peru.
The Peruvian Navy said a tsunami warning had been dropped for the Pacific coast country.
Damage to water and internet networks
The underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, located 65 km north of Nukualofa, capital of Tonga, erupted on Saturday afternoon (15), Saturday morning at BrasÃlia time. According to Fiji officials, the eight-minute eruption was heard “like distant thunder” more than 800 km away.
Meters recorded waves 83 centimeters high in Nukualofa and approximately 60 centimeters in Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
According to a bulletin from Japan’s meteorological agency, the Amami Islands, in the south of the country, were hit by waves of 1.2 meters at 11:55 pm on Saturday (11:55 am GMT), while a smaller tsunami could be observed in other areas. parts of the Japanese coast.
On social media, Chile’s National Emergency Office warned of the possibility of a “minor tsunami” hitting Easter Island. Alerts were also issued for the west coast of the United States. Stronger waves hit California beaches, with flooding in the city of Santa Cruz.
As of Sunday, thick clouds of volcanic dust still cover parts of Tonga. The ash fallout can contaminate drinking water and cause respiratory problems.
Experts said that drinking water supplies would need to be restored and that residents should remain vigilant for further eruptions and avoid low-lying areas.
There was also a drop in Tonga’s internet and telephone lines. The main undersea communication cable was impacted due to power outages, which are being restored in parts of the islands. Interruption of phone lines and connection makes it difficult to assess damage.
Australia said it will send a surveillance aircraft to the country to assess damage to infrastructure such as roads, ports and power lines and define the response strategy. US diplomacy chief Antony Blinken said the US was also prepared to provide support to Tonga.
.
