‘Each of the 39 deceased was killed unlawfully,’ court rules in Hong Kong ferry crash

A Hong Kong court has found that 39 people were unlawfully killed in a 2012 crash between two ferries off Lamma Island, as it began wrapping up a long-overdue inquest into the causes and circumstances of the city’s deadliest maritime disaster in decades.The Coroner’s Court on Wednesday returned the same conclusion it reached in 2020, when it decided against commencing an inquiry, citing the comprehensive findings of a government-led hearing in 2013 and subsequent criminal proceedings.Coroner Monica Chow Wai-choo said undisputed evidence showed the collision was caused by the gross negligence of the two coxswains, one from the Sea Smooth catamaran and the other from the sunken Lamma IV, on October 1, 2012.“I find each of the 39 deceased was killed unlawfully,” she said.The implication of the ruling is limited, however, as the two captains had already borne the legal consequences of their actions, and all claims for damages had been settled before the verdict.The 44-day inquest was held in May last year after two relatives of the victims convinced the Court of Appeal that it was in the public interest to conduct another probe into aspects not covered in previous hearings.