An underwater volcano erupted off the Tonga Islands on Saturday, and it triggered a tsunami warning for several South Pacific island nations.

Residents were told to move to higher grounds immediately; however, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center base in Honolulu, Hawaii, later canceled the warnings, adding that the warning remained for Hawaii. Fiji also issued a warning, telling residents to avoid the shorelines due to strong currents and dangerous waves. Japan warned of waves as high as three meters, and waves of 1.2 meters hit the south of the country.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha¡¯apai volcano was heard across the South Pacific, and eventually as far as the US. Many parts of Tonga were covered in ash; the capital was just 65 kilometers south of the eruption. People there experienced a near-total blackout of power, phone lines, and Internet services.

Difficult words: trigger (to start something suddenly), tsunami (a long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake), blackout (a short time when the basic services stop for a building or area).