Tonga's Olympic flagbearer Pita Taufatofua raises over $340,000 for tsunami relief, says he still hasn't heard from father

Pita Taufatofua, who gained fame as the shirtless Olympic flagbearer for Tonga, has raised hundreds of thousands dollars in relief for his home nation, days after a devastating volcanic blast triggered a tsunami. As of Wednesday afternoon, donations have surpassed $340,000 (more than 470,000 Australian dollars). 

Taufatofua, 38, set up a GoFundMe page earlier this week to help the people of Tonga, where satellite images showed its islands smothered in grey ash or damaged by a tsunami after Saturday's volcano explosion. The fundraiser has been verified by CBS News.

"In preparation and through the recovery efforts we are seeking your donations to help our island Kingdom," he wrote on the fundraising page.