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Three of Tonga's Smaller Islands Badly Damaged By Tsunami

The Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption on Jan. 15.

The Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption on Jan. 15.

Source: Japan Meteorology Agency/AP Photo

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (MOUSSA MOUSSA and DAVID RISING)
Updated on

Sydney (AP) -- Three of Tonga's smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the destruction caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation.

U.N. humanitarian officials report that about 84,000 people — more than 80% of Tonga’s population — have been impacted by the volcano’s eruption, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said, pointing to three deaths, injuries, loss of homes, and polluted water.