8 Aug 2009

Number of people missing in Tonga ferry disaster rises

8:19 pm on 8 August 2009

The number of passengers and crew unaccounted for in Tonga's ferry disaster rose to 85 on Saturday.

One survivor has told of how quickly the boat sank.

Tonga Police Commander Chris Kelley says 141 people are now believed to have been on board the Princess Ashika, about 20 more than estimated on Friday. Two bodies have been recovered and 54 people survived.

Mr Kelley, who is co-ordinating the search, says there is a chance people made it to shore after the sinking, but he is not optimistic of finding more survivors.

"At the moment our focus is on the rescue of survivors and I don't want to give that up until we've exhausted every possibility," he said.

"The recovery of bodies is important and I do find it a little unusual that we have only recovered two bodies so far."

Big wave

A survivor says the vessel had been taking on water faster than its crew could bail before a large wave struck, sinking it almost immediately.

Viliami Latu Mohenoa was one of the few passengers travelling on an open deck who was able to leap into the sea as the ferry overturned.

Mr Mohenoa says he saw crewmen bailing water from a lower deck where the ship's engine was housed and the cargo stored.

Then suddenly a big wave came and hauled all the cargo and vehicles to one side, causing the ferry to overturn and sink instantly.

He says there was no chance to save anything or anyone.

Search resumes

A New Zealand Air Force Orion resumed searching for any survivors or bodies on Saturday, extending the area it covers to take into account drift and tide.

Twelve Royal New Zealand Navy divers and three specialists arrived in Tonga shortly after midnight on Friday. Along with Australian navy personnel, they left Nuku'alofa on Saturday afternoon for the site where the ferry sank, to locate the ship.

The team were due to spend four hours on Saturday evening searching using an unmanned underwater vessel, before making the return trip to the Nuku'alofa naval base.

The Princess Ashika is thought to be in about 36 metres of water.

It was heading from Nuku'alofa to the Nomuka Islands group and is believed to have sunk about 86km north-east of the Tongan capital about 11pm on Wednesday.

Lieutenant Commander Andrew McMillan says the ship may be unstable and divers will not go inside it until it is safe to do so.

Second ferry found across survivors

The editor of Talaki newspaper, Filo Akauola, says fishermen who know the area have told local media several ships have sunk there, the last one in 1997. One sailor has said the area where the ferry went down is well known for rogue waves.

A second vessel, the MV Pulu Paki, was sailing some 25 minutes behind the Princess Ashika on Wednesday night. Mr Akauola says those on board the second ferry helped pull people from the water.

He spoke to a 70-year old man who said he was thrown into the sea but somehow found something to hold onto until he was picked up. Twenty-six survivors were re-united with friends and family in Nuku'alofa on Friday.

The sister of the King of Tonga, Princess Pilolevu, gave a televised address on Friday offering her sympathy to the grieving families. The king has left for a holiday in Scotland.

Tonga's transport ministry has strongly denied claims the Princess Ashika was unseaworthy. Transport Minster Paul Karalus says a top marine investigator from New Zealand is arriving on Saturday to begin an investigation.

He says while the country is grieving for those lost, there have been no signs of angry gatherings, nor are people saying the sinking is the anybody's fault.