A 15-metre (49-foot) tsunami caused by a massive volcanic eruption hit Tonga last week, destroying homes and killing at least three people, according to the government of the island nation.

The administration claimed in its first public statement on Saturday’s tragedy that it was a “unprecedented disaster” that one community was completely destroyed while several other towns scattered across the archipelago only a few buildings were standing.

According to the report, at least three individuals were killed and the surviving were left huddled under makeshift shelters.

Following the massive eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on Tuesday, the administration announced, “Tonga has been hit by an extraordinary calamity.”

Residents have been evacuated from the worst-hit districts by rescue crews, according to the report.

According to the government, the eruption caused a tsunami that slammed onto the west coast of many islands, “rising up to 15 meters.”

The town on Mango island, where a distress signal was spotted earlier in the week, was completely demolished, while numerous other communities scattered around the archipelago were utterly devastated.

In Mango, a 65-year-old woman, a 49-year-old male, and Angela Glover, a British national, were among the three individuals confirmed killed.

According to the administration, there were also a number of injuries.

The Tongan navy was deployed with health staff and emergency supplies such as water, food, and tents.

The administration declared in a statement that “the evacuation process has commenced.”

A breakdown in the underwater cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the globe has impeded aid efforts, limiting connectivity to the outer islands to satellite phones and radio.

A heavy volcanic ash blanket covered the islands, which had compromised drinking water supplies, according to photos taken by a New Zealand Air Force surveillance airplane.

Damage to wharves and ash on the main airport runway prevented foreign arrivals, as well as challenges with supplies arriving from other countries.