Two drown in high waves caused by Tonga volcano

Two people drowned off a beach in northern Peru, local authorities said, after unusually high waves were recorded in several coastal areas following last Saturday’s eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga over 10,000km away. A cleanup operation was also underway at Cavero beach in Ventanilla, where high waves attributed to the volcano caused a tanker to spill oil while unloading at La Pampilla refinery.

The underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday, causing huge waves on several South Pacific islands, where social media images showed waves crashing against homes.

More than 20 Peruvian ports were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure.