19 Aug 2009

Tally of those unaccounted for on Tonga ferry reduced again -- to 72

12:19 pm on 19 August 2009

Tonga police have further reduced the numbers of those unaccounted for on the sunken Princess Ashika to 72.

This comes after earlier checks had helped authorities cut the list of those who went down with the ferry two weeks ago from 93 to 73.

The Police Commmander Chris Kelley says a video of the wreck made on Tuesday by the New Zealand Navy's remote operating vehicle, or ROV, will be made available in full to the Commission of Inquiry into the disaster.

He says selected clips will also be made available to the general public.

Commander Kelley says a visual identification of the wreck site may assist public perceptions, but he says while the ROV did identify human remains those image will not be released.