Two women drown in Peru after Tonga volcanic eruption 10,000km away
- The emergency centre announced that the women drowned because of ‘unusually strong waves that were due to the volcanic activity in north Nuku’alofa, Tonga’
- Peru’s government on Saturday closed 22 Pacific ports in the country’s north and centre due to the waves
Two women drowned on a beach in northern Peru due to “anomalous waves” registered after the volcanic eruption in Tonga, more than 10,000 kilometres away, local emergency services said on Sunday.
The two women drowned on Saturday in the Lambayeque region.
Peru’s government on Saturday closed 22 Pacific ports in the country’s north and centre due to the waves.
The National Emergency Operations Centre said the unusually strong waves were “due to the volcanic activity in north Nuku’alofa, Tonga.”
Southern Peru, roughly 10,600 kilometres (6,500 miles) away, recorded light flooding in some coastal areas where dozens of people needed to be rescued.
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Volunteer rescuers search for victims of Indonesia’s deadly Semeru volcano eruption
The underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and causing huge waves on several South Pacific islands, where images on social media show waves crashing against homes on the shores.
