A Tonga Volcano Caused Huge Tsunamis & You Could See The Blast From Space

Tonga's huge underwater volcano erupted on January 15 and sent ash, steam and gas spewing up into the atmosphere, while also triggering tsunami warnings on several coastlines around the world.

The eruption reached 20 kilometres high and was so intense that it was even visible all the way up in space, the United Nations says.

Videos captured by weather satellites show the terrifying blast as it happened.

The eruption, which happened 65 km away from Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, has isolated the island chain from the rest of the world, and its neighbours were still trying to figure out the extent of the damage on Monday.

Approximately 20 minutes after the volcano erupted, a 4-foot tsunami hit the shores of Tonga's main island Tongatapu, reported Al Jazeera.

Many locals fled to higher ground and many homes were flooded, all while ash was falling down from the sky.

Satellite images of the island before and after the eruption show that the volcano seemed to completely wipe out the entire middle chunk of the island, splitting it into two smaller islands.

After the eruption, locals tweeted about the "darkness blanketing the sky" and the "raining ash and tiny pebbles" falling from the sky.

The volcanic dust and ash covering the sky over Nuku'alofa has become a cause of concern over people's health as they inhale it all in.

The sound of the eruption was so mighty that it was heard across the Pacific and all the way in Alaska, which is some 9,000 km away from the island, according to The Guardian.

A person posted a tweet with a video showing how the eruption was heard in Fiji, and the sound is alarming.

According to New Zealand's meteorological service, on January 17, the ash from the eruption was seen coming towards Australia.

The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Haʻapai volcano eruption triggered tsunami warnings in multiple countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and along the west coast of the U.S. and Canada.

A tsunami advisory was issued for B.C., although it was eventually lifted when the threat passed.

California saw high waves and some flooding due to the blast, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

New Zealand and Australia sent aircraft to check out the damage on Monday, Reuters reports.

The volcano last erupted in 2014 and the volcano is still active, UN officials say.