Saturday 13 April 2013

Hong Kong Lamma Island boat crash captains charged

Hong Kong police have charged the captains of two vessels that collided off Hong Kong's Lamma Island last year with several counts of manslaughter. The pleasure boat Lamma IV, and a high-speed ferry, the Sea Smooth, collided on 1 October last year. The boat crash killed 39 people, including several children. The collision was the worst maritime accident in Hong Kong for over 40 years. In a statement, Hong Kong police said that both captains, aged 54 and 56, had been charged separately with 39 counts of manslaughter. The two men are expected to appear before a court later on Thursday. Five other crew members who were arrested following the accident will answer bail in mid-April, police said. Transport accidents resulting in fatalities are extremely rare in Hong Kong, which has a highly regulated transport system. The crash was Hong Kong's worst maritime accident since 1971, when an accident on a ferry left 88 people dead. The government appointed a commission shortly after the crash to look into the cause of the collision. It is expected to present its findings later this month.

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