Dr Feleti Sevele

At least 66 people were feared dead Friday after a ferry disaster in Tonga which the prime minister described as "devastating" for the tiny Pacific kingdom. As grieving relatives gathered at the wharf in the capital Nuku'alofa, singing hymns for comfort and expressing anger the ageing vessel was allowed to sail, Prime Minister Feleti Sevele said hope was fading for the missing. "The hopes for the rest are not promising, unfortunately," Sevele told journalists at a meeting of Pacific leaders in Australia. "It's a very sad day ... it's quite huge for a population of 100,000, a small place, devastating." Officials said only 53 ... Read Full Story

A total of 66 people including many women and children are now feared dead from a ferry disaster in the Pacific island kingdom of Tonga, rescuers said Friday. There were 53 survivors, two bodies have been recovered and at least another 64 people were missing, search and rescue co-ordinator John Dickson said after a revised manifest increased the number on board from 79 to 119. There were six foreigners on board the 34-year-old Princess Ashika, including British, German, French and Japanese nationals. Tongan police said the lack of accurate records meant the number of missing could be higher. Tonga's Prime Minister Feleti Sevele has ... Read Full Story

A rope rising from the seabed points to the possible location of a ferry which sank last week in Tonga, resulting in the feared loss of nearly 100 lives, searchers said on Tuesday. But New Zealand navy dive team commander Lieutenant Commander Andrew McMillan said rough weather was preventing equipment being dropped to the sea floor to search for the Princess Ashika. The ferry sank suddenly late Wednesday night, and only 54 survivors were rescued. Two bodies have been recovered and at least 93 people remain unaccounted for. McMillan said a rope had been found coming from the sea floor near where an emergency ... Read Full Story

The captain of the Tongan ferry that sank leaving 93 missing and presumed dead said Monday he was pressured into sailing the vessel even though authorities knew the ship had problems. Tonga's Prime Minister Feleti Sevele and Transport Minister Paul Karalus have consistently stated that the vessel was fully seaworthy, was fully certificated for the service and met all international maritime standards. No survivors have been found since an initial rescue of 54 people and the recovery of two bodies after the Princess Ashika sank last Wednesday. The assumed death toll makes the tragedy one of the small country's worst in decades. The cause ... Read Full Story

Wailing mourners from Tonga dropped a marble plaque inscribed with 74 victims' names into the ocean Tuesday above the wreck of a ferry that sank this month in a disaster that shook the tiny South Pacific nation. Relatives and government officials on a small flotilla of boats took part in the funeral ceremony for those believed trapped inside the Princess Ashika when it went down Aug. 5. Two bodies were recovered and 72 other people were believed drowned. Divers were unable to reach the wreck to recover remaining bodies because the water is too deep. A Tongan Navy honor guard stood to attention as ... Read Full Story