Bodies of two Tongan ferry dead found

Two bodies, including one of a European man, have been recovered and up to 50 people
remain missing after a ferry sank off the Tongan coast overnight.
Dozens of women and children are believed to be among those still missing. One
survivor said only men made it off the sinking boat alive.
Siaosi Lavaka, who was rescued from the MV Princess Ashika, said all eight life
rafts had been filled with men as women and children had been sleeping inside when
disaster hit.
"We woke up to the sound of shouting and we jumped off," he is quoted as saying on
the Matangi Tonga website.
"No women or children made it."
The inter-island ferry was 86km northeast of Nuku'alofa when it issued a mayday call
and sunk just before 11pm on Wednesday.
It is thought that rough seas unsettled the timber cargo on board, unbalancing the
boat and causing it to overturn.
Many have questioned the condition of the 39-year-old vessel, which had only been in
operation in Tonga for a month. It was a stop gap until a new Japanese boat was
delivered in 2011.
Initial reports suggested 79 people had been on board but authorities have now
revised the number to more than 100.
The first boats to reach the scene pulled 42 people from life rafts - 17 passengers
and 25 crew, including the captain.
Another 11 were subsequently found safe and well on Thursday morning.
The operator, Shipping Corporation of Polynesia, has confirmed two bodies have been
found in search waters.
One of the dead is believed to be a European male.
There were six foreigners on the ship, including Japanese, German and French nationals.
A surviving crew member told the website that two Europeans and one Japanese
volunteer were among the missing passengers.
Five boats will continue searching the 80-square-mile search zone with lights
overnight.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion, which arrived at first light, would stop
searching when darkness falls and resume on Friday.
Search and Rescue Mission coordinator Mike Roberts said search conditions were good
and the water temperature remained a balmy 25 degrees celsius.
Despite the passing time, rescue teams were still positive they would find more
survivors.
"We have excellent resources on hand to continue the search and information from the
P3 Orion has enabled us to target areas of interest well," Mr Roberts said.
"We are hopeful of finding more survivors."
It is the second major boating disaster to hit the Pacific in a few weeks. In July
18 people died when a large canoe capsized off the coast of Kiribati.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the nation's thoughts and prayers are with the
families of those affected by a ferry tragedy in Tonga.
"As leaders of the Pacific Island Forum we've already extended to our colleague the
prime minister of Tonga our deep condolences," he said from the Pacific Islands
Forum in Cairns.
"To the people of Tonga of course our thoughts and our prayers are with the families
of those who have been affected by this great tragedy."