124 people have been confirmed to be injured after a high-speed ferry travelling from Macau to Hong Kong collided with an ‘unidentified object.’
The accident caused complete chaos on board as the boat lost power and started leaking. Many passengers were thrown from their seats and were injured in the process.
70 people have already been discharged but others remain in hospital for further treatment, reported People’s Daily Online.
The Jetfoil ‘Horta’, a high-speed turbojet ferry, departed from Macau Ferry Terminal at 6:05pm and was scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong an hour later on October 25.
It was carrying 163 passengers and 11 crew members when it collided with an unknown object about 30 miles away from its final destination.
The boat lost power just south of Lantau Island, one of the outlying islands of Hong Kong, at 6:41pm. The right side of the ferry was also damaged and water began leaking into the boat from the back.
As passenger scrambled for life jackets many injured people were seen lying on the floor.
The vessel was towed to the shipyard at Stonecutters Island in Hong Kong at 4:20am, according to a press release from the ferry company, Shun Tak Group.
A car tire with red paint marks from the ferry was found close to the scene the next morning on October 26, but experts told Apple’s Daily that the tire is not heavy enough to cause such a massive impact.
Leung Siu Wing, the Life Honorary Vice-Chairmen of the Hong Kong & Kowloon Motor Boats & Tug Boats Association, suspected that the vessel was slightly off course and hit a massive reef, causing the crash.
According to a spokesperson from Shun Tak Group, other ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau returned to normal shortly after the accident.
The Hong Kong authorities are still investigating the case.
