‘Absolutely amazing’: Tongan man swept away by tsunami stayed afloat for 24 hours
The story of a Tongan man washed away by the tsunami and who drifted and swam between islands for more than 24 hours has become one of the first to emerge from the island nation, five days after the disaster cut off communications between it and the rest of the world.
Lisala Folau, a retired disabled carpenter, told Tongan radio station Broadcom FM that he swam and floated from his island of Atata via two other uninhabited islands to eventually reach the main island of Tongatapu, a total distance of around 13 kilometres.
A transcript of his Thursday interview was translated and shared by a senior editor at the radio station, George Lavaka, on Facebook.
“My elder brother and a nephew came to my assistance, this time the wave has gone through our lounge, we moved to another part of the house when a bigger wave, this wave I would estimate was about not less than six metres, [arrived].”
“Bear in mind that I am disabled. I can’t walk properly … and when I can, I believe a baby can walk faster than I,” he added.
