At least 36 people died in a ferry collision in the busy waters off Hong Kong late on Monday, in one of the worst disasters the city has seen in years. The accident happened at about 8:30 p.m. local time, when a ferry carrying more than 120 people was struck by another vessel, and quickly sank.
Local news media reported that the ferry was on its way to a big fireworks display in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor to celebrate China’s National Day.
As of Tuesday morning, 36 people were confirmed to have died in the accident, and 9 of the more than 100 people who were hospitalized had sustained serious injuries or were in critical condition, according to a government statement.
Rescue operations continued Tuesday morning, and the Hong Kong fire department said it could not rule out that there were still people inside the vessel or missing. Low visibility and many obstacles on board were hampering the rescue efforts.
Photos from the site showed the ferry half submerged, with its bow pointing nearly straight up, off Lamma Island. One of the largest of Hong Kong’s many islands, Lamma is connected to Hong Kong by regular ferry services that take about 30 minutes each way.
Hong Kong has generally good maritime standards, but the waters off this Asian financial and trading hub are very busy, thanks in large part to cargo traffic to and from Hong Kong and the Chinese ports in the nearby Pearl River Delta, which are some of the busiest in the world.