Several countries like New Zealand, Australia and the U.S. have sent out tsunami warnings on Saturday following a violent eruption of a volcano in Tonga's Hunga Ha'apai Island, about 65 kilometers north of its capital city Nuku'alofa.

"We expect New Zealand coastal areas on the north and east coast of the North Island and the Chatham Islands to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore," New Zealand's national emergency management agency said on Saturday while urging people to stay off the beaches and shore areas. 

Australia issued a tsunami warning to offshore islands and territories including the Norfolk Island over the eruption.

"While evacuations are not necessary for Marine Threat areas, people in these areas are advised to get out of the water and move away from the immediate water's edge," the country's bureau of meteorology said.

A tsunami advisory has also been issued for Hawaii and parts of the U.S. Pacific coast including California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia, the National Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

Residents living near beaches, harbors, marinas and other coastal areas were advised to move away from the shore and make their way inland or uphill, the bulletin added.

Tonga on Saturday afternoon issued another nationwide tsunami warning following a first one early Friday. 

The volcano has erupted continuously since Friday morning, raising the plume to altitude 5-20 kilometers above sea level.

All domestic flights in Tonga were cancelled on Saturday due to the active volcano.

The Tongan volcano is part of the highly active Tonga-Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, a subduction zone extending from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji.  

Read more:

Volcano in Tonga's Hunga Ha'apai island erupts again

(With input from agencies)