BEIJING- Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to provide support to help Tonga rebuild after a massive volcanic eruption, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

An explosion in an underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami destroyed houses on one of Tonga's small outer islands and caused three deaths locally, creating huge waves affecting countries all around the Pacific rim. 

(Reporting by Ella Cao and Meg Shen; Editing by Hugh Lawson) ((meg.shen@thomsonreuters.com; 852-39525805;))