Havana, January 17 (RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Sunday lamented the damage caused in Tonga by a tsunami resulting from the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano.

On his Twitter account, the head of Cuban diplomacy expressed his country's solidarity with the people and government of that island State in the Pacific Ocean, whom he wished a speedy recovery.

According to press reports, Saturday's volcanic explosion lasted eight minutes and caused panic among the nation's 71,000 inhabitants, hit by 1.2-meter waves.

The event forced the islanders to take refuge in high places and set off alarms in nearby countries.