Brighton-born woman dies in Tonga tsunami after trying to save her dogs
Angela Glover's coastal home was hit by large waves on Saturday
Last updated 17th Jan 2022
A British woman who went missing after a tsunami in Tonga has died, according to her family.
Angela Glover, 50, from Brighton, disappeared after an underwater volcanic eruption on Saturday caused huge waves to hit the Pacific island.
Her brother, Nick Eleini, said Angela died while trying to save her dogs.
Mr Eleini said he believes her body was found by her husband James in some bushes and the family discovered she had died at around 7am today (17th January).
Her family and friends appealed for information on her whereabouts after she went missing at the weekend. They said in Facebook posts Mr Glover held on to a tree while Mrs Glover and her dogs were washed away.
Reading out a statement, her brother told Sky News: "I understand that this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs.
"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.
"From a little girl, it was always Angela's dream to swim with whales, and it was Tonga that gave her the opportunity that allowed her to fulfil these dreams.
"As you can imagine, her family is devastated and we respectfully request that we are given privacy to grieve."
He said the couple moved to the nation after they got married in 2015 and they had become "well-loved" locals.
Mrs Glover ran an animal rescue shelter in the country, called the Tonga Animal Welfare Society (TAWS), while her husband owns a tattoo shop, called the Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlour in Nuku'alofa, the country's capital.
Mr Eleini said he and his mother had last seen Mrs Glover prior to the Covid-19 pandemic when they visited the UK.
He added: "This is just a terrible shock that it's happened. We're ordinary people, stuff like this doesn't happen to people like us.
"She was beautiful, she was a ray of sunshine. She would walk into a room and lighten the room up. She loved her life. She was working in London and then achieved her life's dream of working in the South Pacific. She loved her life there.
"We were so proud of her achievements in such a short time, both her and James starting a business and creating a life there. Her charity work with TAWS, she was so committed to it. She loved animals, dogs particularly.
"She was just a lovely girl. She was the centre of our family and we're just broken."