BENEATH THE WAVES: The first image of the Tonga ferry that sank with 93 bodies still believed to be on board, has been released by New Zealand divers.
Recovering at least 93 bodies from the sunken ferry Princess Ashika would cost over $25 million, putting it beyond the Tongan government budget and exceeding New Zealand's annual aid vote to the kingdom, experts say.
Political insiders in Nuku'alofa say that if the bodies are left on the wreck, the royal appointed government could find itself in the same kind of danger that saw the capital largely destroyed in riots in November 2006.
The 37-year-old Princess Ashika sank a week ago after sailing from Nuku'alofa with at least 149 people aboard. Two bodies and 54 survivors were found while 93 people, including 33 women and 10 children, were trapped aboard.....
