Was the island of Tonga completely wiped out by the eruption?
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(CNN) --
The Tongan government declared a state of emergency following Saturday's massive volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami, Tonga's acting High Commissioner Peter Lund said in a telephone interview with the Pacific News program on Tuesday. Tagata Pasifika, from TVNZ.
Lund says that although there was significant damage on the western coast of Tonga's main island, Tongatapu, most people [on Tongatapu] are "safe and sound".
"There is a big clean-up operation going on. The city [Nuku'alofa] got covered in a thick form of volcanic dust, but look they are making progress. The roads have been cleared, the buildings are being cleaned," Lund said.
"Nuku'alofa is trying to get back to normal."
Cleanup crews are making good progress clearing volcanic ash from roads and debris, with the priority being to get the airport runway clear so relief supplies can be delivered, he said.
First images of volcano damage in Tonga show entire communities covered in ash
New Zealand has offered to provide water testing kits, generators and other relief equipment to help the Tongan population, it added.
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At least three dead in Tonga
At least three people have died in Tonga following the eruption and subsequent tsunami, the Tonga Prime Minister's office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The three fatalities are a British citizen, a 65-year-old woman from Mango Island and a 49-year-old man from Nomuka Island, according to the statement.
This is how the Tonga volcano shock wave spread 0:45
CNN previously reported that the body of Britain's Angela Glover was found after being swept away by waves, her brother, Nick Eleini, said in a statement Monday.
Glover, 50, who lived in the capital Nuku'alofa with her husband and ran an animal welfare charity, was trying to rescue her dogs when the waves hit her, Eleini said.
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