Tongan ferry disaster: NZ woman's fears for family

Medical staff stand by at Pangai on Lifuka Island to help survivors of the sinking of the Princess Ashika. Photo / Emily Penn

A New Zealand woman is "just trying to hold onto hope" that her mother, brother and sister have survived the sinking of an inter-island ferry in Tonga.

Elisapeta Tahahau Ofa fears the worst after the trio went missing following the sinking of The Princess Ashika in the Nomuka Islands group on Wednesday night.

Her mother, Atelete Mailangi, 63, her brother, Baula Mailangi, and sister Tapuaki Mailangi, were on the ferry returning from a family trip, when the disaster occurred.

Two deaths have so far been confirmed but another 64 people are still unaccounted for.

It is believed there were 119 aboard the ferry when it sank.

Mrs Ofa, of Christchurch, is in Auckland meeting her sister today, and preparing to fly out to Tonga tomorrow to be with her struggling father and other relatives.

She told the Herald today that she was relying on information from her family in Tonga, but so far had heard nothing to confirm the three are alive or dead.

While both her brother and sister were strong swimmers, her mother had high blood pressure and was unlikely to have been able to swim to safety.

"I have to be strong. I'm the oldest of 12 (siblings), so I have to be strong for everybody, especially my Dad," Mrs Ofa said.

"We are still holding onto hope. But I think it's not sinking in for me at the moment... until I get to Tonga."

Mrs Ofa said if her family members were dead, she hoped at least to be able to recover their bodies.

She said she did not blame anybody for the sinking, but wanted to know why it happened.

Rescuers remain hopeful of finding more survivors.

Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand mission coordinator John Dickson said there are still 64 people unaccounted for and two confirmed dead.

It was originally thought that between 30 and 32 people were missing but that number has continued to rise after discoveries that more and more people were on board the ferry.

"There is still a significant amount of debris in the water, and we will be targeting those areas.

"Clearly survival rates after this length of time are of concern, but we remain hopeful of finding more survivors," Mr Dixon said.

A survivor said the vessel rolled so quickly in rough seas that women and children sleeping below decks had no chance to escape.

Prime Minister John Key has announced than an air force Hercules will leave for Tonga this afternoon with a navy dive team and a remote search team to help recover victims of the ferry disaster.

He said assistance was being sent after consultations with the Tongan government.

"The three members of the remote search team will operate an underwater search vessel alongside the 12 members of the Operational Dive Team to carry out recovery of victims from the submerged ferry," Mr Key said in a statement.

"The latest deployment will join the air force Orion aircraft already in Tonga searching for survivors of the ferry sinking."

- with NZ HERALD STAFF, NZPA