in capsize

Eleven died in capsize

Eleven people died in December when the Tongan inter-island ferry Fetu’u moana capsized between two islands in the Haapai group. The ferry, which was owned by the Roman Cath olic Church in Pangai, was registered to carry 30 pass engers. At the time of the accident it was carrying 121 passengers and crew.

Superintendent Paula Vivili, who was in charge of the subsequent police in quiry, said that only a fortu nate combination of circum stances had prevented the death toll from being much higher.

The capsize was at 9.30 in the morning, and the alarm was raised about five hours later by a group of crewman who reached nearby Haaf eva Island on a raft. By chance a party of police were visiting the island and they organised an immediate and efficient rescue oper ation, getting the first rescue boats to the scene at 4.30.

There was still sufficient daylight time for the rescue operation to be extremely thorough. Marine officials believe that if the accident had happened later in the day and if the police had not been immediately available on Haafeva, nightfall would have brought a heavy loss of life. Subsequent searches re covered four bodies, but the bodies of seven others known to have been on board were not recovered.

There were some early suggestions that the ferry was carrying more than 121 passengers and crew and that the loss of life was therefore much higher than indicated. However official nquiries have established hat the figure of 121 was accurate, and that there llO survivors.

p enny Hodgkinson.