Ferry survivor's frantic calls for cousin unanswered

Democracy activists are upset because they say they tried to warn officials that the ferry was dangerous. Photo / Supplied

A survivor of the Tongan ferry tragedy has told how he called frantically for his cousin for hours while in a lifeboat, but did not get a response.

Pau Tupou, who lived in New Zealand for seven years and whose parents and two sisters live in Mangere, said: "I was shouting, shouting out for my cousin, calling out his name. I didn't hear anyone answer my call."

Last night, 64 people were missing, feared dead, as anger grew in Tonga over Wednesday night's disaster and the decision of the King to leave for a holiday in Scotland.

Democracy activists are also upset because they say they tried to warn officials the ferry, Princess Ashika, was dangerous.

Mr Tupou said that by the time anyone realised the ship was in trouble it was too late for the women and children, who were sleeping on the lower deck, to escape.

The 30-year-old had left his wife and two children on Tongatapu and was heading to Lofanga Island in the Ha'apai group with his cousin and a friend to do plumbing work.

About 11pm, the trio were watching a movie in a lounge on the top deck when Mr Tupou noticed water seeping under a door.

He didn't think much of it and headed to the stern for a cigarette with his friend.

The ferry then began rocking and water started rising above his feet.

"I felt the boat starting to turn, the left side started going down ... Then we hear the captain say over the speaker, "Get inside, get a lifejacket'. It was too hard to go inside."

He and his friend jumped off the ship and swam to a lifeboat. But 16 people were already in it and it started sinking.

Mr Tupou, his friend and several other men swam to another boat that had only one person aboard. "When I got in the boat I started crying," he said.

Survivors used rope to tie six lifeboats together, then waited for about three hours - during which Mr Tupou called for his 20-year-old cousin Siuta Feao - before a rescue boat arrived. When the group noticed the lights of the rescue boat, he and others let off flares.

Mr Tupou said he almost took his 2-year-old daughter on the ferry as she was crying to go but his wife decided against it at the last minute. He flew back to Tongatapu on Thursday and was reunited with his family.

Mr Tupou lived in New Zealand until 2000, playing rugby for Marist in Greymouth and College Rifles in Auckland.

THE AFTERMATH

2 confirmed dead
64 missing, feared dead
53 survivors