Photos by Linny Folau and Pesi Fonua.

There was a mixture of joy and sadness at the Fua'amotu domestic airport when 32 of the 53 survivors from MV Princess Ashika ferry sinking returned to Tongatapu on a Chatham Airline flight at 1.30 pm today.

The survivors, all young men, were still visibly distressed, some were wrapped up in blankets that had been provided by the Red Cross and others who looked after them in Pangai, Ha'apai, after their ordeal at sea.

Twenty-five of the men arriving were crew members and five were passengers. The exact number of passengers who were on board the Princess Ashika has yet to be confirmed but today Police Commander Chris Kelley stated earlier that they had the names of 117 people including 32 crew members who were known to have boarded the vessel.

Of these there are 53 survivors, two dead, and 62 are missing at sea.

It is also known that among the passengers were three Europeans, one Japanese and a Niuean woman.

The body of one European man, the first victim recovered in the tragedy, was brought to Tongatapu on the same flight. He is believed to be a British man who was living in New Zealand.

Some of the survivors remained in Ha'apai where they live, some left for Vava'u and some had returned to Tongatapu on Thursday night.

Formal welcome

At the airport there was a formal welcome by the Princess Regent, Princess Pilolevu Tuita, the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Viliami Tangi and the Police Commander Chris Kelly.

The survivors were also welcomed by Pita Vuki from the Prime Minister's Office, followed by a prayer by the President of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, Rev. 'Ahio. Then Semisi Pomale, one of the survivors, and a crew member of the MV Princess Ashika thanked the Princess Regent for her welcome, he also extended the sincere sympathy from the survivors to the families of the missing passengers.

There was a group photo of the survivors with the Princess Regent, who gave them gifts of more blankets and warm clothes.