Tonga: Olympic athlete Pita Taufatofua says many Tongans can't reach family members on island
Pita Taufatofua is an Olympic athlete in Tae-Kwando and cross country skiing, and he is also famously known for bearing the Tongan flag.
He said that like several other people who have relatives back in Tonga, he has been unable to contact his family on the island.
Following a volcanic eruption which triggered a tsunami within the South Pacific islands, communications have been crippled making it difficult to reach people and establish how much damage has been done.
The United Nations has said a distress signal was sent from an isolated, low-lying group of islands - Fonoi and Mango.
Pita said "For us it's pretty much impossible, it seems that there are two or three satellite phones in the island".
(Photo: Pita Taufatofua Photo credit: Getty Images)
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