Hong Kong high-speed ferry crash injures at least 80
Commuters travel on the Star Ferry in Victoria Harbour from Kowloon to Hong Kong on Nov. 21, 2013.
At least 80 people were injured when a high-speed ferry traveling from Hong Kong to Macau hit an object in the water Friday morning.
The double-deck jetfoil was carrying more than 110 passengers when the accident occurred at about 1:20 a.m. near Hei Ling Chau, one of Hong Kong's small outlying islands, AFP reported.
Authorities aren't yet sure what the ferry hit. No one was missing.
A government spokesman said three men were in serious condition and 46 others were in a stable condition at six different hospitals.
"There was suddenly a loud bang. The ferry was thrown upwards. Then many passengers were thrown out from their seats," one passenger told Hong Kong's Apple Daily news website.
The ferry suffered no significant damage and was towed back to the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal.
The high number of injuries was due to passengers not wearing their seat belts, ferry company spokesman Wong Man-chung told RTHK.
The accident comes just a month after the one-year anniversary of a ferry crash that claimed 39 lives. It was Hong Kong's worst maritime disaster in more than 40 years.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!