Peru: Huge Waves From Tonga Volcanic Eruption Causes Oil Spill That Affects 2 Beaches, Central Coast

Parts of Peru's central coast and two beaches were affected by oil spilled from a discharge ship rocked by huge waves caused by Saturday's volcanic eruption near Tonga, authorities said Monday.

According to Reuters, Peru's Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez said the oil spill dirtied at least two kilometers of Peru's central coast and two beaches.

"It is unfortunate. I am seeing that there is a serious impact on the coastal marine area. Initially, two and a half kilometers (of damage) were reported," Ramirez told local reporters.

Oil Spill in Peru

Reports said the spill happened during the unloading of crude oil from the ship to supply the La Pampilla refinery, owned by the Spanish firm Repsol, on Sunday.

In a statement, Peru's National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) and the emergency center of the Ministry of Energy and Mines said that the ship was loading oil into the La Pampilla refinery when strong waves, as a result of the volcano's eruption, moved the boat and caused the spill.

La Pampilla refinery, in Callao province near Lima's capital, is considered the main oil processing plant in Peru.

Indeci did not reveal how many gallons of oil were spilled at the coastal district of Ventanilla in Callao province. However, the Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement said it launched an investigation to determine who was responsible for the oil spill.

Authorities said the spill was controlled within hours, and there was an ongoing process to clean the area affected by the oil spill, the Associated Press reported. Peru's Ministry of Environment oversees the cleaning of the affected area.

2 Drown in Peru as Big Waves Hit Coast After Tonga Volcanic Eruption

Two people died in northern Peru as high waves smashed into some of its coastal areas following the eruption of an underwater volcano in Tonga on Saturday.

In a statement released on Sunday, Indeci said the two women drowned off a beach in the Lambayeque region on Saturday after two-meter waves hit their truck. They were found dead by officers from a Naylamp beach police station after their vehicle was dragged near the sea.

An underwater volcano near the remote Pacific nation of Tonga erupted on Saturday. Satellite images showed a huge eruption, with a plume of ash, gas, and steam rising above the sea. A thunderous roar was reportedly heard as far away as Alaska.

The eruption triggered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake near Tonga and sent tsunami waves crashing into the island's coast. Huge waves also reportedly smashed into some of South America's islands and the U.S. West coast.

TV images and footage on social media showed several homes and businesses in the coastal areas of northern and central Peru flooded by seawater.

According to the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the tsunami that hit Peru was up to 80 centimeters high. The Peruvian Navy did not issue a tsunami warning, but it monitored "abnormal waves" off its coast.

In the U.S., more than four feet waves were recorded on the California coast on Saturday. Tsunami-effect waves were also recorded along the coast in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia in Canada.

According to experts, the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai underwater volcano near Tonga was likely the biggest recorded on the planet in more than 30 years, CNN reported.

Shane Cronin, a professor from the University of Auckland and an expert in Tonga eruptions, wrote in The Conversation that this was one of the massive explosions "the volcano is capable of producing roughly every thousand years."

Cronin added: "We could be in for several weeks or even years of major volcanic unrest from the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano."

Reports said the eruption also created a new island in Tonga, which is the second time such an event had happened in Tonga in 10 years.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Oil Spill Turns Peru Beach Black After Tonga Eruption - From Reuters