Desperate tsunami survivors on a remote Tongan island have appealed for urgent aid — and comforting music — as they remained homeless and cut off from the outside world.
Hundreds of Niuatoputapu residents said Wednesday they needed medical supplies, fresh water and shelter, after more than 90 percent of homes on the tiny island were destroyed.
They also requested "radio programmes of comfort and reassurance…because many were afraid and in state of shock. They were still sheltering in the hills above the villages," the Tongan government said in a statement.
Seven people were confirmed dead and three remain missing on Niuatoputapu after three tsunamis, estimated at up to six metres high (20 feet), crashed into the island early Tuesday, just minutes after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck in nearby Samoa.
The deadly waves swept about 600 metres (2000 feet) inland, destroying two of the three villages on the Tongan island.
All of Niuatoputapu's water storage tanks were either rendered unusable or destroyed completely.
Tonga's 2006 census listed 211 households on the island with a total population of 1029.
Government officials chartered a plane to fly to the island on Wednesday to assess the damage, but were unable to land because of damage to the runway.
However, another flight, also on Wednesday, was able to land while a patrol boat headed to Niuatoputapu with emergency supplies and personnel, including a medical team that could perform emergency surgery.
Tonga has asked if a French frigate, due in the capital Nuku'alofa on a goodwill visit Friday, will be able to sail to Niuatoputapu with more emergency supplies, the statement said.
The Pacific island nation was reportedly talking with New Zealand about getting access to helicopters for relief efforts.
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