Grief turns to public anger in Tonga

BY NEIL REID AND MICHAEL FIELD

New Zealand navy dive ship Manawanui has left for Tonga to help in the recovery operation following the Princess Ashika sinking as the number missing from the disaster rose to 85.

The inter-island ferry is believed to have been carrying 141 people when it sank on Wednesday night. Fifty-four people were rescued, two bodies have been found and 85 remain unaccounted for, believed drowned.

Prime Minister John Key said the Manawanui had sailed from the Devonport naval base about noon as a contingency measure to support rescue and recovery efforts. It would not arrive in Tonga until Friday, and would return to Devonport if a suitable vessel could be found closer to Tonga.

"She will support the Royal New Zealand Navy's operational dive team and the Royal Australian Navy divers to carry out recovery of victims from the submerged ferry, the Princess Ashika," Mr Key said.

New Zealand and Australian dive teams arrived in Tonga overnight and were today conducting a survey of the recovery site using an underwater search vessel.

Mr Key said he was extremely concerned, and saddened, to hear that up to 85 people might now be unaccounted for after the sinking -- up from 33 initially unaccounted for.

"This has been an extremely distressing time for the people of Tonga, and New Zealand's thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have died and who are missing," he said.

"The New Zealand Government remains in close contact with the Government of Tonga and we are ready to provide whatever assistance we can."

The Tongan government had asked for a disaster victim identification team from New Zealand, and the police were considering that request, Mr Key said.

SEARCH RESTRICTED

New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) will this afternoon hand control of the search for survivors of the Princess Ashika sinking to Tongan authorities.

RCCNZ search and rescue mission co-ordinator Geoff Lunt said poor weather was restricting the air force Orion's ability to search safely, and it would be withdrawn this afternoon.

RCCNZ was collating the search data and preparing to hand co-ordination of the rescue over to the Tongan police, he said.

"Despite an intensive search over the last 3-1/2 days, there has been no new information or any further sign of survivors from the ferry," Mr Lunt said.

"In the absence of any positive sightings, and with low cloud and poor visibility hampering the search, at this stage we believe there is little more the Orion can do.

"However, once the formal handover has taken place, we will continue to assist Tongan authorities in any way we can and may look at resending resources to Tonga if any new information comes to light."

The Orion and a boat spent this morning searching a 240 sq km area around the Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai atolls, about 65km northwest of Tongan capital Nuku'alofa, without success.

NUMBER MISSING RISES

Six foreigners have been confirmed among those missing – with Tongan Police Commander Chris Kelley saying there was the possibility that figure included New Zealanders.

To date just two bodies have been discovered – that of a 48-year-old British man who had spent time in New Zealand and of a Tongan women.

“The news is not good. I believe the number of people on board the vessel, the names we have are now at 141,” Kelley said.

“As a result of statements taken from survivors who have identified other people on board the vessel, we believe the figure is 141 or more.

“We are now something like 58 hours into the operation, day three, and we have had an assessment briefing on Saturday morning.

“The update is 141 on board. The number rescued still remains at 54. We have one male body, which has been identified. We have one female body that is yet to be identified.

“That is leaving 85 persons unaccounted for.

“I can only reiterate that this marine disaster is a tragedy of huge proportions for this country.

“It strikes right at the heart of this sea-faring nation.”

At first it was feared just 79 people were on board the MV Princess Ashika when it cap-sized and sunk within one minute early Thursday morning.

However that number gradually rose to 89 on Thursday night, before rising again to 117 by Friday morning.

Police then issued a new figure of 120 who they believed were on board the boat on Friday night.

Fifty-four people were found within three hours of the ferry sinking, all in life-rafts.

Kelley said the nature of the combined police and defence force operation was still very much search and rescue-orientated.

But he said searchers were realistic about the chances of finding more people alive.

“Yesterday surface searches were carried out, along with the RNZAF Orion right throughout the day,” he said.

“No further survivors were located and no further bodies were located.

“That clearly indicates to me that the likelihood of finding more survivors gets less and less.

“We are checking all the islands in the island group clearly in an effort to see if anyone might have made it to shore – but we are not optimistic.”

“The nature of their search has been very sophisticated and in support with the Tonga Defence Service boats, plus the fishing boats, we are confident that we will have covered all of the sea-drift area.”

GRIEF TURNS TO ANGER

A Tongan seaman has told how he fled from a sinking interisland ferry, as public grief turned to anger at the government and the monarchy over the tragedy.

As relatives of the people still missing waited desperately for news yesterday, it emerged that marine investigators are examining whether the government-owned ferry may have been overcrowded and overloaded. There were also claims it was not certified or safe to sail.

The monarchy is also facing public fury after the king left for an extended holiday in Scotland, despite knowing of the disaster.

An official said "people were incredulous and astounded" that King George Tupou V had left for almost three months as rescuers scoured the seas 86 kilometres from the capital, Nuku'alofa, for survivors.

The boat was also heavily laden with timber and two ambulances being sent to Ha'afeva island, to which the Princess Ashika was heading from Nuku'alofa on Wednesday.

Semisi Pomale was plucked from the sea after the ferry capsized and sank in less than a minute.

He was one of the 29 crew on the top deck who survived, along with 25 passengers. None of the women or children, who were asleep in one of the lower cabins, could be saved.

He told how everyone on board had seconds to react and most of the survivors simply dived for their lives.

The boat had started swaying shortly before going down. One theory is that the load had moved, causing the ship to roll.

Survivors managed to clamber into seven of the boat's nine life-rafts. An eighth was later found empty and searchers are yet to find the remaining one.

Mr Pomale said he had stared death in the face during the tragedy but believes his faith saved him. "The first thing I want to say about this is, I thank God. He has given me a life. But it would have been better had the rest of the crew and the passengers of survived."

Akilisi Pohiva, the leading People's Representative in the Legislative Assembly, said frustrations were building as Tongans demanded to know why the royal government bought such an old boat. "People are very, very angry, very upset."

He said his party had tried to stop the government buying the ship from Fiji. "Its sinking didn't come as a surprise to me.

"We knew it was old and unseaworthy. It was built in 1972. The ship was about to be scrapped. It no longer functioned efficiently and the owner was about to scrap it."

Mr Pohiva had discovered the Marine Department had denied it an operating certificate. "The government itself failed to comply with the rules and regulations."

Tonga paid F$600,000 (NZ$44,400) for the ship, even though its operator was about to sell it for scrap for F$200,000. It was meant to be a stopgap until a new Japanese-built ferry was delivered in 2011.

Angry crowds gathered yesterday outside the offices of the government-owned Shipping Company of Polynesia. Brian Heagney, who runs a dive shop in Nuku'alofa, said: "The mood in the entire kingdom is one of anger.

"Particularly at the shipping company because [people think] the boat is not up to standard and they sailed it anyway. Very large crowds have camped outside the offices basically baying for blood."

Information was being passed on "painfully" slowly, and many people were still not aware whether their family members were alive or dead.

Authorities were refusing all comment last night, saying the matter was now under police investigation.

- With NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News