FOG BLOG WORLD NEWS LOG: TONGA VOLCANIC ERUPTION SEEN FROM SPACE, TSUNAMI WARNINGS FOR BC COAST:

Tsunami advisories issued for parts of B.C. as undersea volcano erupts in Pacific.....Warnings issued for some South Pacific island nations; people head to higher ground.....An undersea volcano erupted near the Pacific nation of Tonga, sending tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground. 1:50

An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground. There were no immediate reports of injuries or the extent of the damage because all internet connectivity with Tonga was lost at about 6:40 p.m. local time, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis for the network intelligence firm Kentik. Tonga gets its internet via an undersea cable from Suva, Fiji, which presumably was damaged. Southern Cross Cable Network, the company that manages the connection, does not know yet "if the cable is cut or just suffering power loss," chief technical officer Dean Veverka said, adding he assumed the eruption was responsible. Tonga's Islands Business news site reported that a convoy of police and military troops evacuated King Tupou VI from his palace near the shore. He was among the many residents who headed for higher ground. Warnings issued...The Tonga Meteorological Services said a tsunami warning was declared for all of the archipelago, and data from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 80 centimetres were detected.

In Canada, a tsunami warning was issued for four zones in coastal B.C.

The National Tsunami Warning Center cancelled two later on Saturday, leaving in place advisories for the outer west coast of Vancouver Island from Cape Scott to Port Renfrew, dubbed Zone C, as well as Zone D, which spans the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula.