fired the rabbi, talking about the ordeal that he and three other hostages had to go through. let s get more on the situation in the pacific island nation of tonga following the eruption of an underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami. tongan national anna jane lagi is a student on nearby fiji. she s been telling tim willcox that ash from the volcano has enveloped the tongan mainland. one of the descriptions that had come was that you could sink almost your hand, whole hand into how thick the layer of ash is, so we have to wear masks to keep safe because the air is not good. the water systems are contaminated, so everyone has to stock up on water which is not something they would normally do since we collect and boil rainwater. as well as the vulnerable groups and just people whose houses were ruined, because the western side of the island was heavily damaged, that it is a few of the pressing issues for now. how many people are affected?