‘Real Life Aquaman’: Disabled Tongan Man Swam 27 Hours After Tsunami Hit Islands, Report Says

57-year-old Lisala Folau said he was swept out to sea during Sunday's devastating tsunami and swam for around 27 hours to reach a Tongan island. 

Lisala Folau (inset) said he was painting his home when his brother alerted him about the tsunami, and soon the waves hit his lounge | Photos: Getty/Facebook

New Delhi: Tsunami-hit Tonga has just got its 'real life Aquaman'. A 57-year-old Tongan man said he was swept out to sea during the devastating tsunami on Sunday, and swam around 27 hours to reach an island. 

"He's a legend," said a post on Facebook.

At least three persons died after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano triggered a tsunami across the archipelago. Villages on the islands, resorts and many buildings were damaged, while communication networks were shut, cutting off the 105,000 residents of Tonga from the rest of the world.

Lisala Folau, who lived on the isolated island of Atata, said in a radio interview to Tongan media agency Broadcom Broadcasting that he was swept out to sea when the waves hit land, Reuters report said. 

Folau told the radio station that he was painting his home when his brother alerted him about the tsunami, and soon the waves hit his lounge.

He also said he is disabled, and cannot walk properly. A big wave swept him away.

"I just floated, bashed around by the big waves that kept coming," Folau was quoted as saying.

He said he managed to swim 7.5 km and reached the main island of Tongatapu 27 hours later.

Folau's story was shared widely on social media.

"Real life Aquaman," a Facebook post said, referring to the popular superhero character.

Atata is a small village with a population of about 60 people, the Reuters report said. Located about 8 km northwest of the Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa, the village has been almost entirely destroyed, it added.