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At least 36 people died and dozens were injured when a ferry carrying more than 120 passengers on a company outing collided with another ferry and sank near an island south of Hong Kong on Monday (October 2) night, in one of the city's worst maritime accidents.
The ferry belonging to the Hongkong Electric Company, controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, was taking staff and family members to watch fireworks in the city's Victoria Harbour to celebrate China's National Day and mid-autumn festival when it hit the other ship and began sinking near Lamma island.
Hongkong Electric said that the accident was not due to lax safety standards.
"Our ship's license was granted just recently, so this is not an issue about inspection. I hope everyone understands that we were directly crashed into. This is equivalent to a car colliding straight into you, and when this happens, whether or not the car had undergone inspections earlier, is a completely different issue," said Yuen Sui-see, director of the company.
The other ship, owned by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Holdings, suffered a badly damaged bow in the collision but made it safely to the pier on Lamma, an island popular with tourists and expatriates about a half-hour boat ride from Hong Kong.
Several of the approximately 100 passengers and crew on board were taken to hospital with injuries.
