Two bodies have been recovered after a ferry rolled and sank off the coast of Tonga. Authorities say 54 people have been rescued and up to 33 are still missing.
One Tongan news outlet is reporting that all the women and children on board went down with the Princess Ashika. A reporter for the Matangi Tonga website, Lesieli Langi, says she spoke with a survivor who says only men were able to reach the lifeboats.
Tonga's police commander, Chris Kelly, said he could not confirm that, but most of the survivors do appear to be male. He says one of the bodies recovered is believed to be that of a British man who was carrying a New Zealand driver's licence.
Mike Roberts from Search and Rescue says search conditions are good and the team still hopes to find survivors.
The Tongan National Centre for Women and Children says the news has sent shockwaves through the kingdom and it is preparing to begin counselling the affected families.
The centre's executive director, Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki, says the government hasn't provided any official statement about the tragedy. She says everyone is anxious and desperate for information, and those rescued are being kept on an outer island.
The ferry was heading from Nuku'alofa to Ha'afeva in the Nomuka Islands group and is believed to have sunk about 86 kilometres north-east of the capital. It was used as the main form of transport to get from the main island, Tongatapu, to the two main outer islands, Vavau and Haapai.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion and three vessels are involved in the search, and Zac Pendergast from Defence Force Operations says another Orion is on standby in Tonga to replace the one currently searching.
