Hong Kong court rejects coroner’s inquest bid into 2012 Lamma ferry crash that killed 39 people
- No ‘sufficient evidence’ to persuade court inquest should be held, High Court Justice Russell Coleman says
- Families of loved ones who died in disaster express disappointment over the ruling
Families of passengers who died in one of Hong Kong’s worst maritime disasters have lost a bid to force the government into disclosing further details of its investigation into the tragedy, after the High Court ruled a coroner’s inquest into the 39 fatalities was not in the public interest.
In a written judgment on Thursday, High Court Justice Russell Coleman said no “sufficient evidence” existed to persuade him an inquest should be held, although it was understandable the families would hope to “trace every detail of how their loved ones met their death”.
Relatives of the victims expressed their disappointment over the ruling, which they hoped would shed more light on exactly what happened on the night of October 1, 2012, when a collision between two ferries threw more than 120 passengers into the frigid, dark waters off of Lamma Island.
The Transport and Housing Bureau conducted a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy in 2014, but the report was never released in full.
“We feel there is more truth that could be disclosed if there is an inquest,” said Chiu Bing-chuen, whose older sister, Chiu Siu-king, was killed in the incident. “The details of the incident made known so far are not enough.”
The Lamma IV, had set out to view the National Day fireworks display with 124 passengers on board when it was struck on the port side by the Sea Smooth, operated by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry. While the damaged Sea Smooth continued on to Yung Shue Wan, the other vessel sank within minutes, partly due to design flaws.
Thirty-nine people, including eight children, died, and 92 passengers were injured in the city’s worst maritime disaster since 1971, when a ferry sank during a typhoon, claiming 88 lives.
