 |
| At least 124 people were injured when a high-speed ferryboat travelling to Hong Kong from Macau hit an object in the water, say officials. |
The
ferry, with 174 passengers and squad on board, lost power close to Lantau
island, at about 18:00 local time (10:00GMT) and began taking on water.
Marine
police boats were sent to rescue the passengers, with local media saying many
had injuries to limbs and faces.
Several
passengers waited on board to be rescued for several hours.
"The
lights suddenly went out. It was disordered at first but then the passengers
managed to calm down soon," one passenger told the South China Morning
Post.
The
RTHK news site said 5 people were still in a dangerous condition on Monday
morning.
Hong
Kong has one of the busiest waterways in the world, with the Macau route one of
the most popular.
Safety
standards are high but there have been several serious accidents in recent
years
Dozens
of people were injured in November in a similar incident with a ferry hitting
an object in the water in 2013.
In
October 2012, 39 people died in a crash between the Lamma IV pleasure boat and
a passenger ferry. The ferry captain was convicted of manslaughter.
Emergency boats were sent out to rescue passengers from the drifting vessel
 |
| Injured passengers were taken to several hospitals in Hong Kong |