Hong Kong, Oct 1 (IANS) At least eight people were killed and 15 remained missing after two vessels, one of them carrying over 120 passengers, collided Monday evening off Hong Kong, Xinhua reported.
The accident involved a tug boat and a ferry, with 124 people aboard, the city government said in a statement, adding that so far, a total of 101 people were rescued and 15 were missing.
A major rescue operation for the missing passengers was launched, said police.
The crash occurred in the evening (around 12.30 GMT) when a ferry, carrying 124 people, was hit in the middle part by a tug boat.
The ferry half-sank after the collision near Lamma island, which lies some three km southwest of Hong Kong island, and is popular with tourists and expatriates, BBC reported.
An official with a local power supply company, which rented the ferry for its staff for one-day outing, said 124 people were on the ferry.
Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung told reporters that relevant departments of the city government have made all-out efforts to rescue those who fell into the sea.
The accident occurred during a busy period for passenger travel in Hong Kong, at the end of a long holiday weekend to mark the mid-autumn festival that this year coincides with China’s National Day Oct 1.
