Wreck of capsized ferry found in Tonga

12/08/2009| IslamWeb

Searchers located the wreck Wednesday of a ferry that capsized off Tonga a week earlier and found no immediate signs of the 93 people on board who are still missing and presumed dead.

The Princess Ashika flipped over and sank Aug. 5 in a tragedy that has reverberated throughout the tiny South Pacific kingdom and triggered accusations that the government allowed the ferry to operate despite it being unseaworthy.

Tongan Police Commander Chris Kelley said the hulk was found Wednesday by an unmanned search device in about 360 feet (110 meters) of water near where the ferry foundered about 54 miles (86 kilometers) northeast of the capital, Nuku'alofa.

Navy divers from New Zealand and Australia who are assisting the search are not able to go that deep, meaning a search inside the hull for bodies or clues to the disaster will likely have to wait for additional equipment.

"It is important to realize that nobody on board could still be alive," Kelley told reporters.

Two people, a British man and a Tongan woman, are confirmed dead in the sinking, while 54 other passengers and crew survived. One person from Japan and two each from Germany and France are among the missing.

Kelley said authorities surmised the wreck's position based on sonar readings matching the vessel's size and shape, adding that the hull appears intact in an upright position but noting that divers have not sighted the wreck yet.

He said bad weather had again forced authorities to suspend the operation.

New Zealand Navy Lt. Cmdr. Andrew McMillan, the search coordinator, said the maximum depth that the New Zealand and Australian navy divers can reach is 195 feet (60 meters).

He said a rope found floating on the surface led down to the vessel and seemed to be attached to it.

The cause of the disaster is not yet known. Survivors described the ferry as rocking violently from side to side and waves breaking into the lower deck before it went under, though officials said weather conditions were mild.

The ship's captain, Maka Tuputupu, blamed the sinking on rusted loading ramps that allowed water into the boat, and said the Tongan government should take responsibility because it knew there were problems with the ship.

Tongan Transport Minister Paul Karalus resigned on Tuesday, saying he must do so to allow a full government inquiry. But he rejected claims he was responsible.

He said the vessel was fully seaworthy and certified. It was carrying people and cargo well below levels set by its permits.

But the surveyor in charge of carrying out checks on the ferry, Mosese Fakatoa, said the boat was not seaworthy and that he never had a chance to finish his report on it.

"Even without the survey, I can tell you that the ship was not in good condition," he told New Zealand's TV3 News.

The ferry was missing marks which showed how low in the water a ship could ride, Fakatoa said, and not having them breached international maritime conventions.

"I think they (the government) knew about it, but they did nothing," he told the channel.

PHOTO CAPTION

File photo of the MV Princess Ashika ferry in Nuku'alofa.

AP