Searchers believe sunken Tongan ferry found: police

Writer: AFP

Published: 12/08/2009 at 02:00 PM

Searchers believe they have found the wreck of a ferry which sank last week in Tonga with the loss of nearly 100 lives, police said Wednesday.

File photo of the MV Princess Ashika ferry in Nuku'alofa. Searchers believe they have found the wreck of the ferry which sank last week in Tonga with the expected loss of nearly 100 lives, police said.

Tongan police commander Chris Kelley said the ship appeared intact and was lying upright on the sea floor at a depth of 110 metres (360 feet).

"I must emphasise the onsite team have not visually confirmed the identity of the vessel but the sonar information is such, along with other evidence, that we have a high level of confidence it is the Princess Ashika," Kelley said in a statement.

The ferry was 86 kilometres (53 miles) northeast of Nuku'alofa en route to Ha'afeva, in the outlying Nomuka islands, when it sank one week ago moments after issuing a mayday call.

The 34-year-old vessel went down quickly and only 54 survivors were rescued, while two bodies have been recovered and at least 93 people remain unaccounted for.

Reports from survivors suggested many sleeping passengers would have been trapped inside the ship when it sank around midnight on Wednesday.

Kelley said the sonar location of the vessel was corroborated by the presence of an oil slick.

Bad weather has forced the suspension of further operations, and Kelley said a New Zealand naval vessel would arrive on Saturday with equipment capable of taking pictures of the wreck to confirm it is the Princess Ashika.

But he indicated there was no immediate prospect of recovering bodies.

"It is important to understand that although the underwater vehicle is able to take pictures of the vessel, neither the New Zealand nor the Australian navies have the capabilities to conduct recovery operations beyond 60 metres," he said.

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