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| Hong Kong ferry passed safety inspection, owner says | Hong Kong ferry passed safety inspection, owner says |
| (30 days later) | |
| The company that owns the ferry involved in one of Hong Kong's deadliest accidents in decades has said it passed an inspection just last month, though officials have offered no explanation about how two boats collided on a clear night in one of the safest and most regulated waterways in Asia. | The company that owns the ferry involved in one of Hong Kong's deadliest accidents in decades has said it passed an inspection just last month, though officials have offered no explanation about how two boats collided on a clear night in one of the safest and most regulated waterways in Asia. |
| Police have arrested seven crew members from both boats, including the captains, on suspicion of operating the vessels unsafely. Thirty-eight people on the second boat were killed, four of them children, and about 100 people on both vessels were taken to hospitals injured. | Police have arrested seven crew members from both boats, including the captains, on suspicion of operating the vessels unsafely. Thirty-eight people on the second boat were killed, four of them children, and about 100 people on both vessels were taken to hospitals injured. |
| The Lamma IV, owned by a utility company, was taking about 120 of its workers and their families to watch a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on Chinese National Day when it collided with the Sea Smooth and partially sank. | The Lamma IV, owned by a utility company, was taking about 120 of its workers and their families to watch a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on Chinese National Day when it collided with the Sea Smooth and partially sank. |
| The ferry was damaged but made it to port. Salvage crews raised the half-submerged Lamma IV using three crane barges and later towed it to the island's shoreline. Heavy damage was visible, with part of the compartment at the stern torn away and railings bent and twisted. | The ferry was damaged but made it to port. Salvage crews raised the half-submerged Lamma IV using three crane barges and later towed it to the island's shoreline. Heavy damage was visible, with part of the compartment at the stern torn away and railings bent and twisted. |
| The government-required inspection of the Sea Smooth last month indicated no problems, Nelson Ng, general manager of Hong Kong and Kowloon (Ferry) Holdings said. | The government-required inspection of the Sea Smooth last month indicated no problems, Nelson Ng, general manager of Hong Kong and Kowloon (Ferry) Holdings said. |
| He gave no further details, and was unable to say what the ferry did after the collision because the company has not talked to the captain, who is one of the crew arrested but remains in the hospital. | He gave no further details, and was unable to say what the ferry did after the collision because the company has not talked to the captain, who is one of the crew arrested but remains in the hospital. |
| Police have arrested four crew members from the Sea Smooth and three from the Lamma IV. Police Commissioner Tsang Wai-hung said both crews were suspected of having not "exercised the care required of them by law". | Police have arrested four crew members from the Sea Smooth and three from the Lamma IV. Police Commissioner Tsang Wai-hung said both crews were suspected of having not "exercised the care required of them by law". |
| The crash was Hong Kong's deadliest accident in more than 15 years and its worst maritime accident in more than 40. Large-scale accidents are rare in the semi-autonomous enclave off mainland China, which has one of Asia's most advanced infrastructures and economies, with first-rate public services. | The crash was Hong Kong's deadliest accident in more than 15 years and its worst maritime accident in more than 40. Large-scale accidents are rare in the semi-autonomous enclave off mainland China, which has one of Asia's most advanced infrastructures and economies, with first-rate public services. |
| Some relatives of the dead went to the scene, off Hong Kong's south-western coast, to toss paper money on to the waters in honour of the victims on Tuesday, while others waited at the morgue for news about loved ones. | Some relatives of the dead went to the scene, off Hong Kong's south-western coast, to toss paper money on to the waters in honour of the victims on Tuesday, while others waited at the morgue for news about loved ones. |
| Survivors told local media the Lamma IV had started sinking rapidly after the collision. One woman said she had swallowed a lot of water as she swam back to shore. A man said he had been on board with his children, and didn't know where they were. | Survivors told local media the Lamma IV had started sinking rapidly after the collision. One woman said she had swallowed a lot of water as she swam back to shore. A man said he had been on board with his children, and didn't know where they were. |
| Yuen Sui-see, the director of operations of Power Assets Holdings, which owns the boat's owner, Hong Kong Electric, said the Lamma IV had been carrying 121 passengers and three crew members. That figure is well below its capacity, of more than 200. | Yuen Sui-see, the director of operations of Power Assets Holdings, which owns the boat's owner, Hong Kong Electric, said the Lamma IV had been carrying 121 passengers and three crew members. That figure is well below its capacity, of more than 200. |
| Power Assets Holdings officials said emergency payments of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars (£16,000) would be provided to the family of each person killed. | Power Assets Holdings officials said emergency payments of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars (£16,000) would be provided to the family of each person killed. |
| The companies are part of the business empire of Li Ka-shing, Asia's richest man. Visiting a hospital on Tuesday, he told reporters: "I don't want to say too much. I just know that many people have passed away." | The companies are part of the business empire of Li Ka-shing, Asia's richest man. Visiting a hospital on Tuesday, he told reporters: "I don't want to say too much. I just know that many people have passed away." |
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