Tonga’s government has released its first official update since the volcanic eruption and tsunami on Saturday, saying the death toll could rise.
With communications previously hampered by a damaged undersea cable, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni announced yesterday in a statement that all homes on one of Tonga’s small outer islands have been destroyed by the eruption, with three people so far confirmed dead.
Sovaleni has described the tsunami effects as an ‘unprecedented disaster’ with the island losing a substantial percentage of its initial surface area.