Families of 39 victims are furious after a coroner’s verdict on the 2012 Lamma ferry disaster, calling it a failure to assign responsibility.
HONG KONG: Family members of those killed in a Hong Kong ferry collision over a decade ago expressed outrage on Thursday over a long-awaited coroner’s verdict.
The Lamma IV ferry sank after a collision on October 1, 2012, killing 39 people in the city’s deadliest maritime disaster in decades.
Victim representatives have long blamed shipbuilders for not installing a watertight door and government inspectors for missing the omission.
Coroner Monica Chow concluded the ferry would have sunk even if the door had been attached.
She stated the door’s absence “did not constitute a design error nor amount to a breach of the regulatory requirements in force at the time”.
Chow added that families were demanding “near-perfect scrutiny” from overworked inspectors, which was “impractical” and “unrealistic”.
About half a dozen family members stormed from the courtroom as she spoke, according to local media.
“I can speak on behalf of all the family members… we are extremely disappointed,” said Alice Leung, who lost her brother.
“For 13 years, we wanted to find the truth about who was responsible, and what we got was the word ‘unrealistic’. I’m outraged.”
Ryan Tsui, who lost his brother and niece, said the verdict failed to address broader societal concerns.
A prior investigation found the missing door contributed to the ferry’s rapid sinking.
The inquest spanned over 40 days and involved 84 witnesses.
The coroner directed criticism towards a senior government ship surveyor who gave inconsistent evidence.
Hong Kong courts jailed the two ferry captains involved in the crash in 2015.
Two government employees were also jailed a year later for failing to ensure lifejacket compliance.
A government spokesman said it would “study the verdict carefully with serious follow-up”.
The spokesman expressed condolences and said disciplinary action had been taken against some Marine Department officers.
Alice Leung said her 13-year search for accountability now feels endless.
“I believe that the families will not give up,” she said.
