A few 120 Injured in Hong Kong Ferry Collision

In another incident in February a year ago, a cross-border jetfoil carrying more than 80 airport-bound passengers from the mainland collided with a container ship in thick fog off Tuen Mun near the New Territories, Hong Kong.

As “Armenpress” reports, citing The Guardian, the hydrofoil, carrying 163 passengers and 11 crew, hit an “unidentified object” off a small island in Hong Kong’s western waters on Sunday evening, rescuers said.

“Some people sustained injuries to their jaws, arms and legs”, the Post quoted an unnamed passenger as saying on a pier.

According to local media, a large rescue operation had been launched involving air services, marine police, the fire department and a few 20 ambulances, before the boat was towed back to Hong Kong.

“It went dark. A lot of people were injured and many were bleeding”, one man with a bandage on his head told Apple Daily. Ko was speaking to reporters after visiting a few injured passengers in Eastern Hospital, Ta Kung Pao said.

The hectic commercial and tourist traffic, along with numerous pleasure vessels, make Hong Kong one of the busiest shipping channels in the world.

Hong Kong’s nautical safety has been in the spotlight since the city suffered its biggest maritime tragedy in decades in 2012 when a boat and commuter ferry collided, killing 39 people and injuring about 100.

Although safety standards are high, there have been several serious accidents in recent years, including a dozen people injured when a ferry also hit an object in the water in 2013.