A total of 34 passengers were injured after a ferry bumped into a pier in Hong Kong’s financial district. The vessel was carrying workers to construction sites at Lamma Island’s power station.
At around 7.10 am on Friday, a Tsui Wah Ferry Service vessel carrying 120 people hit the pier when it was docking at Central Pier No. 9, injuring 34 men according to the Fire Services Department.
One sustained more serious back and arm injuries, though his condition was not life-threatening, while 33 people had minor scratches. They were sent to Queen Mary Hospital, Ruttonjee Hospital and Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment.
The Fire Services Department sent three fireboats, six fire trucks and 15 ambulances to scene. A total of 96 firemen and paramedics were deployed. No one was trapped on the vessel and it took fire officers around 20 minutes to evacuate all passengers, the department said.
HK Electric confirmed with HKFP that the ferry was arranged by its subcontractor and was carrying construction workers to Lamma Power Station. The company had contacted the subcontractor for more details about the incident, a spokesperson said.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said on Friday he was concerned about the incident and had expressed sympathy for the injured. The Marine Department would launch a probe into the cause of the accident, he said.
The Marine Department said it would demand an incident report from the ferry company. The ferry involved could carry up to 178 passengers and was not overloaded at the time of the incident.
The department would investigate the structure and mechanism of the ferry, as well as the driving manner of the captain, a spokesperson said.
