Wellington  - Tongan police on Friday disclosed the identity of the second French national who drowned on the Princess Ashika ferry, when it sank off Tonga on August 5.

The victim's name was Sami Chakroun, born in August 1978, Tonga's assistant police commander Tupouniua told the German Press Agency dpa.

The disclosure followed last week's release of the names of 70 people who drowned, which included two Germans and a Frenchwoman.

Tupouniua said authorities have confirmed that one Hungarian passenger also perished on the boat.

However, other survivors had not positively identified the man from pictures.

"I can only publicly reveal at this stage that he is a male who bought his ferry ticket at lunchtime from the office. We have his details and have informed our Foreign Ministry and been in contact with Hungary's embassy in Canberra, Australia," Tupouniua told dpa.

"We should be in a position to release his details next week," Tupouniua said.

Police have now released the names of 71 people confirmed missing at sea out of 72 missing persons.

The total number of people who were on board the Princess Ashika was last week revised down one person to 128.

Of this number, 54 people survived, 2 bodies were recovered, and 72 remained missing at sea, according to the press statement.

Most of the passengers on the sunken ferry were Tongan.

The wreck is at a depth of 110 meters, and the New Zealand and Australian navies are unable to retrieve bodies below 50 metres.

Tonga's government has not decided whether to seek help from deep sea specialists in other countries to retrieve bodies.

Observers have pointed out that the cost of recovery may be too high for the small island nation. (dpa)