Drinking water is the main problem in Tonga after super-eruption 2:13
(Reuters) --
A 57-year-old Tongan man said he survived 27 hours at sea after Saturday's devastating tsunami hit his island.
These new images show the devastation in Tonga 0:44
Lisala Folau, who is disabled and cannot walk properly, said she dove nine times before grabbing onto a log and reaching safety.
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"The eighth time I thought, the next time I go into the water, that's it, because my arms were the only thing keeping me out of the water," Folau told Reuters from the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa.
Lisala Folau (centre) says she swam for 27 hours after being swept out to sea by Saturday's tsunami.
"So the ninth time I went down and went out and grabbed a log. And that's what kept me going."
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano has killed at least three people and propelled tsunami waves across the Tonga archipelago, damaging towns and resorts and cutting off communications for the country's 105,000 people.
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Folau, who lived on the remote island of Atata, with a population of about 60 people, was swept out to sea on Saturday night.
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He had climbed a tree to escape a first wave but when he got down, another big wave swept him away.
This is how the coast in Tonga was after the explosion of the volcano 0:37
"I could hear my son calling from the land, but I didn't want to answer him because I didn't want him to swim out to find me," Folau said.
"The waves kept turning here and there... What came to my mind is that in the sea there is life and death. Until you reach the shore, then you know if you are alive or dead."
Folau said he managed to swim slowly 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) to Tonga's main island, Tongatapu, and reached shore 27 hours later on Sunday night.
His heroic deeds have gone viral on social media.
A Facebook post called him "Real Life Aquaman," referring to the character from the comic and movie.
This is how the Tonga volcano shock wave spread 0:45
When asked if he knew who Aquaman was, Folau said that he didn't yet.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the facts.
Atata, about 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) northwest of Nuku'alofa, or a 30-minute boat ride, was almost completely destroyed by the tsunami that hit the Tongan islands.
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