New Zealand has sent a plane to Tonga to assess the damage after a huge volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami. The eruption has covered the Pacific islands in ash, cut power and severed communications.<br />''<br />''The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) told media that up to 80,000 people could be affected. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the tsunami had wreaked significant damage.<br />''No deaths have been reported so far.<br />''<br />''New Zealand and Australia are sending surveillance flights to assess the extent of the damage.<br />''The New Zealand Defence Force tweeted that an aircraft had left to assist in an initial impact assessment of the area and low-lying islands.<br />''<br />''Katie Greenwood of the IFRC in Fiji said that help was urgently needed.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The underwater volcano erupted on Saturday, sending a plume of ash into the sky and triggering warnings of 1.2m  waves reaching Tonga. The eruption was so loud it could be heard in New Zealand, some 2,383 km from Tonga.</span>