Tonga Volcano Levels Trees But Bulks Up Islet At Eruption Site - AFP

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A volcanic eruption close to the South Pacific nation of Tonga has destroyed rich birdlife and vegetation, leaving a wasteland of black ash and tree stumps, witnesses said Friday. Sightseers, officials and scientists who have taken boats to the site have described frequent explosions hurtling rocks and ash hundreds of metres into the air.

The volcano, on the small, uninhabited islet of Hunga Ha'apai 63 kilometres (39 miles) northwest of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa, began erupting Monday, several days after a moderate earthquake. It continued to spew Friday even as a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 rocked Tonga's main island of Tongatapu.

The volcano is hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake, which caused no significant damage but sparked a regional tsunami warning. Radio journalist George Lavaka, who visited the island with a sightseeing group Thursday, said the explosions were accompanied by a deep rumbling.

"The island itself is totally destroyed," Lavaka said, "there is no living thing left there, it's all covered in black ash. "There are only black stumps where the coconut trees were," he added. "We saw dead birds and fish in the water."

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