NEW ZEALAND'S MILITARY SENDS FLIGHT TO TONGA TO ASSESS VOLCANO DAMAGE

Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada:

New Zealand's military on Monday morning was able to send a surveillance flight to Tonga to assess the extent of the damage from a huge undersea volcanic eruption.

A towering ash cloud had prevented the military from launching any flights earlier to the Pacific island nation.

Communications with the island nation remained limited after the internet was cut soon after the eruption on Saturday evening.There were no reports of injuries or deaths, although concerns remained for the fate of people on some of the smaller islands near the volcano.

Satellite images showed the spectacular undersea eruption Saturday evening, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a giant mushroom above the South Pacific waters.