Tonga: Differently-abled man says he survived 27 hours at sea after being swept away by tsunami

Back to back volcanic eruptions and massive tsunami waves caused severe damage in Tonga on January 15. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and huge tsunami waves damaged several houses, buildings and led to multiple deaths. Amid all the devastation, a survival story of a differently-abled Tongan man is giving strength to others. Lisala Folau has claimed that he swam for around 27 hours straight after he was swept away to sea during last week’s tsunami. He, however, did not lose hope and managed to reach the shore. The incident took place when Folau was painting his home. The 57-year-old man has said that he managed to swim 7.5 km to Tongatapu island. This story of Lisala Folau has surprised many people as he is differently-abled and cannot walk properly. “I just floated, bashed around by the big waves that kept coming,” Folau said in a radio interview to Tongan media agency Broadcom Broadcasting. Lisala Folau’s saga of courage has gone viral among Tongan groups on social media platforms. Folau hails from a small, isolated island of Atata which has a population of only 60 people. Check the pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4750908228355717&set=pcb.4750916995021507 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1666892313647326&set=pcb.1666892486980642 As Folau’s tale of heroics went viral, people from across the globe hailed the old man for his bravery. They also reacted to the posts related to the incident and shared their thoughts in comment sections. Atata Island is located about 8 km northwest of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa, as reported by NDTV. The island has suffered catastrophic damage and was almost entirely destroyed in the tsunami. The rescue teams of Tonga have been conducting rescue operations and evacuating people from smaller islands to the main island. What are your thoughts about the story of a real-life aqua man?