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Clutching on to her youngest daughter, Salamasina Taufua tried desperately to keep her 8-month-old baby above water before crashing waves forced her to let her go.
Mrs Taufua's three children - Jesasa, 6, Uena, 3, and 8-month-old E.J - were swept away by a massive tsunami that hit the family's home in Lalomanu just before 7am on Wednesday.
The bodies of Uena and her baby brother E.J were recovered yesterday afternoon.
Their brother, Jesasa, is presumed dead.
Yesterday, the Herald shared the family's story after speaking to Mrs Taufua's father, Ale Vena Ale, while he was driving to the district hospital in Lalomanu where his daughter was lying in a critical condition.
Last night Mr Ale said his daughter, who underwent an operation to fix two broken arms yesterday afternoon, woke up distressed and crying for her children.
Mr Ale said his daughter had survived by holding on to a floating car door.
She wept continuously as she relayed what happened.
"When the earthquake [struck] she yelled out to another girl, who lives with them, to take Jesasa and Uena up to the mountain. She grabbed the baby but it was too late to run up - the wave was coming," Mr Ale said.
"She said she ran back inside the house with the baby to hide in the toilet. And then, bang! The wave just smash into the house and it blew up like a piece of paper. Just ripped open."
As the roof collapsed and water gushed in, Mrs Taufua was swept along with the wave - trying desperately to keep her baby's head above water, while fighting to stay afloat herself.
"She was going under too many times," Mr Ale said.
"She said she tried to hold on to [the] baby but she just couldn't, she was being pushed down and knew they were both going to die."
After battling the gushing waves and being battered by debris for about 45 minutes, Mrs Taufua was swept up onto a flat patch on a neighbouring mountain, where she fainted from exhaustion.
A man and a woman found Mrs Taufua and carried her to the district hospital where she lay in a critical condition for several hours.
Up to six other family members of Mrs Taufua's husband - Etimani Taufua - have also been killed, including his 98-year-old grandfather, Taufua.
Speaking outside the operating theatre, Mr Ale said he was being strong for his daughter.
"I told her to be strong and to lean on God. [But] she just cries and cries," Mr Ale said.
"Sina's very hurt. Her hands, arms are broken and she's cut everywhere. But that's only physically. Her children are truly gone and that's what is painful to her."
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