Undersea volcano erupts off Tonga

An undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga, shooting clouds of smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the South Pacific, officials said today.

Spectacular columns spewed out of the sea about six miles from the south-west coast off the main island of Tongatapu – an area where up to 36 undersea volcanoes are clustered, said Tonga’s geological service head, Keleti Mafi.