2012 Lamma Island ferry collision
Native name | 香港南丫海難 |
---|---|
Date | 1 October 2012 |
Time | 20:23 HKT (UTC+08:00)[1] |
Location | Half a mile off Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island, Hong Kong |
Coordinates | 22°14′8″N 114°6′14″E / 22.23556°N 114.10389°E |
Cause | Collision |
Outcome | Sinking of Lamma IV, Sea Smooth damaged |
Deaths | 39[2] |
Non-fatal injuries | 92[3][4] |
Inquiries | Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012[5] |
Website | www |
On 1 October 2012, at approximately 20:23
On 14 February 2015, Sea Smooth′s captain Lai Sai-ming was convicted of 39 counts of manslaughter over the deaths, while Lamma IV′s captain Chow Chi-wai was acquitted of the same charges by the High Court. Both men were found guilty of endangering the safety of others at sea.[6][7] On 16 February, Lai and Chow were sentenced to eight years' and nine months' imprisonment respectively.[8]
Background
The accident involved a
Accident
At approximately 20:23, the bow of Sea Smooth collided with the stern of Lamma IV on her port side,[10] rupturing two of the latter ship's watertight compartments which quickly flooded.[11][12] Lamma IV soon capsized with her aft sinking into the sea. The vessel reportedly went down so quickly that more than 100 passengers were thrown into the water unprotected despite an abundance of life vests on board. Sea Smooth' left the scene after the accident and continued on to Yung Shue Wan pier. The front of Sea Smooth was damaged and its captain was also sent to the local hospital after the accident, along with several passengers, for injuries.[citation needed]
Casualties
A total of 39 people were killed in the accident,[2] all from Lamma IV, 30 of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, while eight others were pronounced dead upon arrival at hospitals.[13] one passenger would die in hospital on 5 October.[14]
92 people on both vessels were injured,[3][4] four of whom sustained severe injuries. While the Hongkong Electric company claimed 124 people were on Lamma IV, police suspected that there might have been more on board as company employees were allowed to invite their own friends.[15] As a result, the number of people missing remained unknown.[16][17]
Rescue efforts
An air-and-sea rescue effort was initiated. The
Investigation
Initial speculations on the cause of the accident included speeding and overloading. However, witnesses on Lamma IV claimed that the ship was cruising at a steady speed. Overloading was also ruled out as the vessel had a capacity of 200 passengers. Andy Tsang, the Commissioner of Police, stated that seven crew members of the vessels were arrested the day after the accident, for "endangering people's lives at sea".[11][16][20] A commission of inquiry was formed to investigate the cause of the accident.[11]
The Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012, with Justice Michael Lunn as Chairman and Benjamin Tang as Commissioner, was appointed by the Chief Executive in Council to inquire into the facts and circumstances leading to and surrounding the collision. The Commission of Inquiry submitted its report to the Chief Executive on 19 April 2013.[21] The full report is available on the website of the Commission.[22]
The Hong Kong Police crime statistics for 2013 included the 39 killed as part of the city's overall murder rate for the year in the annual Crime in Hong Kong reports.[23]
Reactions
Hongkong Electric
On 2 October, the flags of
Hong Kong Government
Three days of mourning were declared by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, starting on 4 October, during which the flag of Hong Kong was flown at half-mast on all government buildings. On 4 October, Leung, along with other government officials, observed three minutes of silence outside the Central Government Offices at 12:00. Schools and other public offices also observed a moment of silence.[27][9] Condolence points were set up in each of the 18 districts during the mourning period.[28]
The government cancelled the 2013 National Day Fireworks as a result of the incident.
Others
On 2 October, British Prime Minister David Cameron sent Chief Executive Leung his condolences.[29] Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, also expressed her sadness and sent her condolences through a spokesman.[30]
Controversies
The decision by the captain of Sea Smooth to leave the scene sparked a heated debate,
After he was informed of the accident, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying immediately set out to the scene to oversee the rescue efforts.
Leung was also criticised[
References
- ^ a b c Armstrong, Paul; Mullen, Jethro (2 October 2012). "At least 38 killed in Hong Kong's deadliest ferry accident in decades". CNN. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ a b c "List of the 39 deceased in the Lamma ferry disaster". South China Morning Post. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "兩涉案船長 共被控78項誤殺罪". Apple Daily. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "香港南丫島撞船事故兩人被控誤殺". Asia Pacific Daily. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
- ^ The Honourable Mr Justice Michael Lunn, JA; Mr Benjamin Tang, GBS, JP (April 2013). Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012 (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
{{cite report}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Sea Smooth skipper convicted of manslaughter as Lamma ferry captain cleared of same charges". South China Morning Post. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Hong Kong 2012 ferry disaster: Captain convicted". BBC News. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Lamma ferry captain jailed for eight years". RTHK. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Death toll of HK ship collision rises to 38; six crew detained". Xinhua. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "Cause of accident failure to yield (Chinese)". Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ a b c Lo, Clifford; Cheung, Simpson; Wong, Olga; Lee, Ada; Wei, Lo (3 October 2012). "Seven ferry crew arrested". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Wong, Olga; Lee, Ada (3 October 2012). "Why the Lamma IV sank so quickly". South China Morning Post.
- ^ "Vessel collision incident near Lamma Island (3)" (Press release). Hong Kong Government. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "Ferry disaster death toll rises to 39". RTHK. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ 兩船長疑鹵莽害38命 [Careless driving by 2 captains took 38 lives]. Singtao Daily (in Chinese). 3 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Hong Kong fatal boat collision leads to arrests". BBC News. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "7 crew arrested in deadly Hong Kong boat collision". San Francisco Chronicle. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "(translated from Chinese) 1000 rescuers from across departments". Ming Pao. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "(initial report) Vessel collision incident near Lamma Island" (Press release). Hong Kong Government. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "Arrests over deadly Hong Kong ferry collision". Al Jazeera. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "The Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012". Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^ "Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012" (PDF). Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012. April 2013.
- ^ "Murders grip the attention in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ Chen, Te-Ping (2 October 2012). "Dozens Die as Two Hong Kong Boats Crash". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "Press Release [2 October 2012 9:00pm]" (Press release). Hongkong Electric. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ Chan, Candy (3 October 2012). "Funds for victims as Li rushes back" Archived 7 January 2013 at archive.today
- ^ "Hong Kong mourns victims of Lamma Island boat collision". BBC News. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ "Condolence points set up to mourn victims" (Press release). Hong Kong Government. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "PM sends condolences to Chief Executive of Hong Kong". Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- ^ "Condolences from the EU".
- ^ "Should you save yourself or others in a collision: a legal and moral debate (Chinese)". 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "渡輪客呼停船 船長不理 收集救生衣 擬拋海救人(Chinese)". 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "Captain of Sea Smooth discharged, emotionally unstable (Chinese)". 3 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "Leung overseeing rescue on scene". Oriental Daily. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "Looking at Hong Kong-Chinese relationship from disaster". 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Carlson, Benjamin (3 October 2012). "Ferry crash response revives distrust between Hong Kong and mainland China". Global Post. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ "95 rescued in a dubious claim by Chinese News Service". Apple Daily. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
External links
- Commission of Inquiry into the Collision of Vessels near Lamma Island on 1 October 2012
- Marine Department
- "Report of a Public Inquiry, Convened Pursuant to s 17, Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance Cap 548."
- "Paper No. 1/2012 LOCAL VESSELS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting of Joint Sub-committee on Class I and Class IV Vessels Traffic control and safety measures for fireworks displays and other major events ."