The body of a British woman reportedly swept away in Tonga's tsunami has been found, as the UN expresses concern for two small low-lying islands where a distress beacon was activated.
Angela Glover, 50, is the first known death in Tonga following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on Saturday, which was felt around the world and triggered a tsunami affecting numerous countries.
Ms Glover's brother Nick Eleini, who lives in Sydney, confirmed her body had been found and said the family was "devastated" by the loss.
"She loved her life — both when she was working in London and then she achieved her life's dream of going to work in the south Pacific," Mr Eleini said.
Ms Glover moved to Tonga with her husband, James, where she started the Tonga Animal Welfare Society.
"She was beautiful, she was absolutely a ray of sunshine," Mr Eleini said.
"I understand that this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs."
Mr Glover, who runs a tattoo shop called The Happy Sailor, was able to survive the tsunami by clinging to a tree.
"I haven't got the words in my vocabulary to even describe how we're feeling at the moment," Mr Eleini said.
"This is just a terrible shock that's happened to us.
"You know, we're ordinary people. Stuff like this just doesn't happen to people like us. But then it does."
Two women reportedly drowned in Peru when large waves caused by the eruption swept them away.
Reports of 'waves that reached 5 to 10 metres'
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, Fatafehi Fakafanua, said there were reports of waves up to 10 metres high hitting some islands after Saturday's volcanic eruption, and more unconfirmed deaths.
He said information was trickling in from around the archipelago.
"Some of the severely damaged areas, we've heard reports of waves that reached 5 to 10 metres high," he said.
"As you can imagine, that would be very devastating for a low-lying island.
"There are a few reports of deaths, but we're still waiting for more information on that front."
Initial reports suggested no mass casualties on the main island of Togatapu, but two people were reported missing and the capital Nuku'alofa was badly damaged, as were resorts and homes along the island's western beaches.
"Further volcanic activity cannot be ruled out," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update.
OCHA said only minor injuries had been reported but emphasised formal assessments, especially of the outer islands, had yet to be released, with communications badly hit.
The uninhabited volcanic island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai all but disappeared following the blast, according to satellite images from around 12 hours later.
The Pacific archipelago was blanketed in ash and volcanic ash clouds spread to countries thousands of kilometres to the west.
Distress signal prompts UN concern
The OCHA said there had been no contact from the Ha'apai group of islands and there was "particular concern" about two small low-lying islands — Fonoi and Mango — where an active distress beacon had been detected.
According to the Tonga government, 36 people live on Mango and 69 on Fonoi.
Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights to Tonga on Monday to assess damage and Pacific Minister Zed Seselja said Australian police had visited beaches and reported significant damage, with "houses thrown around".
Senator Seselja said he expected the HMAS Adelaide to be deployed tomorrow, with the ash cloud caused by an underwater volcanic eruption still obstructing any ability to send supplies by air.
"There is still a significant amount of ash, I understand, at the airport," he told the Nine network.
"It was hoped the airport might open today but that's more likely now to be tomorrow, and as soon as that is open, we will be able to deliver some of those humanitarian supplies through those C-130 aircraft that are ready to go from Amberley."
Senator Seselja said water, food, fuel, and clean up equipment was being prioritised.
Lord Fakafanua said there was still a lot of initial rescue and recovery work underway.
"In terms of getting airlift and supplies into Tonga ... they're trying to sweep the runway as far as I heard, they may be able to have the runway ready for the air forces to land the supplies by Wednesday," he said.
However, the deputy head of mission for the High Commission of Tonga in Canberra, Curtis Tu'ihalangingie, expressed concern about the potential for COVID-19 to spread as aid begins to arrive.
"As much as we are going to send assistance to Tonga, we will still need to follow the COVID-19 protocols, to keep the people and the population safe, rather than us sending assistance, and there is a tsunami of COVID hitting Tonga," he said.
Senator Seselja also said the Australian government was working with Telstra to set up "some temporary equipment" to provide an interim telecommunications system.
Tonga's internet has been out since the eruption, meaning many families abroad are anxiously waiting to hear if their loved ones are safe.
The company that owns the single underwater fibre-optic cable that connects the island nation to the rest of the world said it likely was severed in the eruption, and repairs could take weeks.
'Completely destroyed'
The New Zealand High Commission reported significant damage along the western coast of the main island of Tongatapu, where there are many vacation resorts, and the waterfront of the capital, Nuku'alofa.
A satellite image posted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated there was damage to scores of structures on Nomuka island.
The Ha'atafu Beach Resort, on the Hihifo peninsula, 21km west of the capital Nuku'alofa, was "completely wiped out", the owners said on Facebook.
The family that manages the resort had run for their lives through the bush to escape the tsunami, it said.
"The whole western coastline has been completely destroyed along with Kanukupolu village," the resort said.
The Red Cross said it was mobilising its network to respond to what it called the worst volcanic eruption the Pacific has experienced in decades.
The organisation's Asia Pacific director, Alexander Matheou, said water purification to remove ash contamination, providing shelter, and reuniting families were the priorities.
ABC/wires
