An ash cloud spawned by the violent volcanic eruption in Tonga is now moving west across the Pacific, experts say - and parts of Australia could possibly be affected.
The ash cloud that soared 20km into the stratosphere during Saturday's eruption coloured sunsets across the Pacific on Sunday evening, washing the skies with a deep rust colour.
The cloud, now fanning out westwards over the Coral Sea towards eastern Australia, had been lying over Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia late on Sunday, New Zealand forecaster WeatherWatch said.
"It's sunset over the southwest Pacific and 26 hours since the massive eruption in Tonga, nations thousands of kilometres to the west now have a volcanic ash cloud over them," the service said.
"In particular Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia/Nouvelle Caledonia are affected. The initial big eruption started off circular around the epicentre, but was soon caught up in an easterly flow that pushed it westwards towards Fiji.
"Today locally in Tonga, westerlies have kicked in (the opposite to Sunday) and so any further eruptions today have been drifting eastwards out to open waters of the South Pacific."
The main ash cloud is now drifting "quite quickly" westwards at high altitude and may linger over the Australian state of Queensland on Monday, WeatherWatch said.
"Like a puff of smoke, the further [the cloud] travels, the more it dissipates."
There is currently a limited risk of ash drifting into New Zealand's skies, although ex-tropical Cyclone Cody may drag some of the particles east of the North Island.
Meanwhile, volcanic ash expelled from Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai - the underwater volcano located 65km from the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa - on Saturday has blanketed the Pacific nation, with some reports likening Tonga to a "moonscape".
The violent eruption and subsequent tsunami have cut power and damaged communications infrastructure in the Polynesian kingdom, with New Zealanders struggling in vain to make contact with Tonga-based loved ones. The nation's water supplies have also been contaminated by volcanic debris, with fears the lingering particles are also toxifying the air.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has already committed an initial $500,000, a "starting figure", to aid Tonga's recovery, with a Defence Force reconnaissance flight expected to leave on Monday morning. A New Zealand Navy vessel is also on standby to provide assistance if required.
Speaking to TVNZ, New Zealand's Acting High Commissioner to Tonga Peter Lund said the Tongan capital currently resembles a "moonscape", with homes and infrastructure shrouded in a thick coating of volcanic ash.
"Thankfully we're not facing devastation on a mass scale, but there will be some serious issues to address given what the volcanic ash has done to the soil and the land."
On Saturday night, surging waves and heavy swells spread across the Pacific, prompting tsunami advisories to be issued for Japan, Hawaii, Alaska and the US Pacific coast. New Zealand authorities urged Kiwis to stay away from coastal areas as a precaution due to unusual currents, however the hardest hit was Tutukaka Marina in Northland, where roughly 50 to 60 vessels were damaged or sunk.
No confirmed casualties in Tonga, but two dead in Peru
There have been no confirmed injuries or casualties as of Monday morning, although there are reports of people being unaccounted for.
Speaking to her Facebook followers late on Sunday night, Tonga-born Labour MP Jenny Salesa said she had spoken with a number of Tongan Methodist church ministers - including one based in the kingdom - during a Zoom call. One of the updates, from Ha'apai-based Reverend 'Ulufonua, was that no one had died in the eruption on the main island.
"Drinking water has been hugely affected, there is a lot of ash on the ground [and] quite a number of houses have been damaged," Salesa said.
"We still do not know the full extent of the damages. However, it is such wonderful news for now that there are no casualties that we know of yet."
However, it has been reported on Monday morning that two people have drowned in northern Peru after waves became abnormally high following the eruption in the Pacific Ocean.
The two individuals drowned off a northern beach in the Lambayeque region after unusually high waves were recorded in several coastal areas following Saturday's explosion, Peru's National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) said in a statement.
More than 20 Peruvian ports were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, it said.
The National Emergency Management Agency and GNS have been contacted for comment.
