Tongan survives 27-hour swim after tsunami
Lisala Folau, who lived on the small, isolated island of Atata which has a population of about 60 people, was swept out to sea when the waves hit land at about 7 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Saturday (January 15).
"My legs are disabled and my disability and my legs don't function as well. So I went underwater eight times and I tried to get air. The sea kept twirling me and taking me underwater," he told Reuters on Friday (January 21) from the Tongan capital city of Nukuʻalofa.
He managed to grab hold of a log on the ninth time he went underwater and kept floating before slowly swimming 7.5 km (4.7 miles) to the main island of Tongatapu, reaching the shore 27 hours later at about 10 p.m. (0900 GMT) on Sunday (January 16).
Folau's heroics have gone viral on social media, and one Facebook post called him a "real life Aquaman", referring to the comic book and film character. Reuters was unable to independently verify the events.
