All the homes on one of Tonga's small outer islands were destroyed in the massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, with three people so far confirmed dead, the government said in its first update since the disaster hit reut.rs/329JK9T 1/5 
With communications severely hampered by an undersea cable being severed, information on the scale of the devastation after Saturday's eruption, causing waves up to 15 meters high, has so far mostly come from reconnaissance aircraft 2/5
But the office of Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said in a statement that every home on Mango island, where around 50 people live, had been destroyed, only two houses remained on Fonoifua, and Namuka island had suffered extensive damage 3/5
Tonga’s deputy head of mission in Australia, Curtis Tu’ihalangingie, earlier said pictures taken by the New Zealand Defence Force showed 'alarming' scenes of a village destroyed on Mango and buildings missing on Atata island, which is closest to the volcano 4/5
The U.N. said a distress signal was detected in the outlying Ha'apai islands, where Mango is located. Tsunami waves had hit the Ha’apia island group and the west coast of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu reut.rs/329JK9T 5/5
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