People in Japan and parts of the US have been told to keep away from the shore amid tsunami warnings sparked by a huge underwater volcanic eruption near the island of Tonga.

The underwater Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption on Saturday was so powerful it was seen from space by satellites orbiting the earth, showing a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a mushroom above the blue Pacific waters.

Tsunami warnings were issued for the west coast of the US, Chile, the Canadian Pacific coast, as well as parts of Japan and Australia.

The eruption has been described as "one of the most violent" to ever be captured from space.

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