WATCH: Mesmerising satellite images show Tonga undersea volcanic eruption

Chandigarh, January 15

Satellite images of the Tonga undersea volcanic eruption that have flooded social media since it struck on Saturday evening are mesmerising and terrifying in equal measure.

Tonga volcano eruption triggers evacuation advisories, metre-high waves in Japan

Images showed the spectacular eruption that took place Saturday evening, with a plume of ash, steam, and gas rising like a mushroom above the blue Pacific waters. A sonic boom could be heard as far away as Alaska.

The event triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, from the coast of the United States to Japan. Though the tsunami threat began to recede by Sunday, the extent of damage caused to the archipelago of Tonga is still unclear.

New Zealand said it was watching the situation closely. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand was unable to send a surveillance flight over Tonga on Sunday because the ash cloud was 63,000 feet (19,000 metres) high but promised to try again on Monday.