CANBERRA - A tsunami warning has been issued for Australia's east coast after a massive underwater volcanic eruption off the coast of Tonga, reported Xinhua news agency.
In a statement published on Saturday night, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a marine threat warning for parts of New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria as a result of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption on Saturday afternoon.
The blast led to tsunami warnings across the Pacific. The BOM said tsunami waves were observed.
"The size of these waves means the threat is for the marine environment for the east coast of Australia, and for land on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island; however the situation will be closely monitored and warnings updated as required," it said.
"People in land-warning zones are strongly advised to move one kilometre inland or go to high ground at least 10 metres above sea level.
"While evacuations are not necessary for marine warning zones, people in these areas are advised to leave the water and move away from the immediate water's edge," it added.
Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian Navy Oceanographic Institute (INOCAR) on Saturday also issued a tsunami warning to Puerto Ayora, the largest town in central Galapagos Islands, some 1,000 km west from continental Ecuador, due to the volcanic eruption.
The agency said in a statement that significant variations in sea level have been recorded in the Academy Bay on Santa Cruz Island where Puerto Ayora is located.
The tide gauges located on Santa Cruz and Baltra Islands registered "disturbances in the sea level generated by the volcanic eruption," which began to arrive at the shores of the Galapagos Islands at 11:43 am local time (1743 GMT), it said.
The agency said that the status of tsunami observation is ongoing for the rest of the Galapagos Islands as well as for the continental coast of the country, adding other points of the continental and insular coast could experience similar disturbances. - BERNAMA