The son of a woman who died when the MV Princess Ashika sank nine years ago said the tragedy still haunted him.
Siaosi Lavaka, 44, and his mother Lavinia Lavaka, 66, were expected to arrive at Ha’afeva in August 2009 to visit his bed-ridden father ‘Aleki Lavaka. Only Siaosi made it to the island.
Siaosi said he heard his mother calling his name when the doomed ferry sank, but darkness prevented him from reaching her.
That was the last moment he heard from Lavinia.
The vessel sank on 5 August 2009 and a government report released two weeks after the tragedy showed 54 men were rescued and 74 people were lost.
Only two bodies were recovered, with 72 missing. Of the 68 passengers and four crew who died, five were foreign nationals. Two of the missing passengers remain unidentified
A tearful Siaosi claimed in an interview with Kaniva News on Tuesday the vessel’s electrical power was off and no one could reach those in the inner top deck where his mother was waiting for him.
He said wind and waves repeatedly slammed into the ferry shortly after they left Nuku’alofa and Lavinia asked him to go down and check their cargoes in the cabin.
When he returned the vessel overturned and he could not find his way up the top deck.
Lavaka said he heard people shouting and yelling while her mother kept calling his name.
He said three youths were at the door of the cabin and when he understood he could not reach his mother he decided to save the children.
He later thought if he had been able to reach his mother, they were both dead.
“I thought at the time if I love my mother I better save the lives of these youths,” an emotional Siaosi said.
He said he rescued the three youths by asking them to hold on and stick onto the wall of the ferry while it was half overturned.
When the Princess Ashika completely overturned they climbed to the top and found themselves safe.
Those who were made it out of the Ashika were picked up by the MV Pulupaki which arrived shortly after the ferry sank.
When they arrived at Ha’afeva the residents were waiting crying at the beach as the news of the tragedy had already reached them, Siaosi said.
“What struck me most was the wish of my father to see his wife alive, but unfortunately she could not make it to see him,” Siaosi said.
Siaosi claimed some passengers attempted to flee and seek protection at the stern but some of them were killed by the vessel’s propeller as it was still turning.
Siaosi said the government compensated each person who was rescued alive from the tragedy with TP$8000.
“In my view that money was too small compared to my mother’s life and the disaster which happened,” he said in Tongan.
The captain of the Princess Ashika told news media shortly after the tragedy that the Government knew about the condition of the boat because they surveyed it before purchasing it.
He said financial pressure was the main reason the ship had not been stopped by officials, or the shipping company’s managers.
“They have no time to delay the boat to repair the boat,” he said.
The then opposition Leader ‘Akilisi Pohiva claimed at the time the government made the move to operate the unseaworthy ship because of political motives. Leaders of the then government did not want the domestic services to be dominated by the Uata Shipping Services.
The Services belonged to former MP ‘Uliti Uata who was a strong supporter of Hon Pōhiva and the democratic movement.
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