A British woman who went missing after a huge undersea volcanic eruption rocked Tonga has been found dead, her family said, in the first reported fatality in the Pacific island nation, APA reports citing BBC.
The brother of Angela Glover, who ran an animal rescue center, said the 50-year-old died after being swept away by a wave. Nick Eleini said his sister's body had been found and that her husband James survived, the BBC reported.
"I understand that this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs," Eleini said in a video statement posted by Sky News.
Eleini said it had been his sister's dream to live in the South Pacific and "she loved her life there."
Glover had been living in Tonga since marrying James, he said, and they became "well-loved by locals and ex-pats alike."
"Angela and James loved their life in Tonga and adored the Tongan people. In particular, they loved the Tongan love of family and Tongan culture," he said.
Eleini said his sister was "a beautiful woman" who "would walk into a room and just light it up with her presence."
After they married in 2015 and moved to Tonga, James opened a tattoo parlor and Angela founded the Tonga Animal Welfare Society, Eleini said.
She had "a deep love of dogs" and her organization sheltered and rehabilitated stray animals before trying to find homes for them, he added.
"The uglier the dog, the more she loved it," he said. "She just loved them all, she was totally dedicated to it."
New Zealand and Australia were able to send military surveillance flights to Tonga on Monday to assess the damage.
A towering ash cloud since Saturday's eruption had prevented earlier flights. New Zealand hopes to send essential supplies, including much-needed drinking water, on a military transport plane Tuesday.
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