117 people were on board of ferry capsized on Pacific Ocean

The vessel went down about 90km (55 miles) from the capital, Nuku'alofa, late on Wednesday, officials said.

Some 50 male passengers, travelling on deck, were rescued; many women and children, who were sleeping in cabins below, are feared lost with the ship, BBC reported.

Tongan officials say 117 people were on board the Princess Ashika when it sank.

On Friday, Tonga's Prime Minister, Feleti Sevele, said there was little hope of finding more survivors from the overnight ferry.

He has asked New Zealand and Australia to send navy divers to help recover bodies.

Two bodies have so far been recovered, including a British man identified as Dan MacMillan, 48, who had been living in New Zealand.

German, French and Japanese nationals were reportedly among several other foreign nationals on board.

New Zealand has sent a military plane to join the search for survivors among the floating debris.

"This is a huge disaster, a huge loss, we'll try and cope with it as best we can," Mr Sevele told reporters in Cairns, Australia, where he was attending the Pacific Islands Forum.

The Tongan leader said the cause of the sinking was unknown, and although questions have been raised about the vessel's seaworthiness he said it had passed safety inspections.

The ferry had been travelling from Nuku'alofa to outlying northern islands of Tonga when it sent a mayday call at about 2300 local time on Wednesday (1100 GMT).