The Coroner's Court of Hong Kong has begun conducting its inquest into a vessel collision incident that left over 30 people dead nearly 13 years prior.
Evidence was presented and eyewitness testimonies were heard in court as the inquest into the October 1, 2012 collision between the ferries Lamma IV (pictured) and Sea Smooth near Hong Kong's Lamma Island formally began on Tuesday, May 6.
The collision on the said date caused Lamma IV to sink shortly afterwards. Thirty of the ferry's 124 occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene, eight others were later declared dead on arrival in hospital, and another individual expired while undergoing treatment.
At Tuesday's proceedings, the court heard recordings of some survivors of the tragedy telling investigators that Lamma IV's crew never advised them on escape routes or where the lifesaving equipment can be found.
Other survivors said that Lamma IV increased speed just prior to the collision with the other vessel and that the crew apparently had not taken the necessary actions to prevent the crash from occurring.
The long-delayed inquest into the tragedy is expected to last no more than 60 days.
Some survivors and the families of some of the victims had earlier called for a coroner's inquest, but this was rejected by the Hong Kong High Court in late 2022 on the basis of insufficient evidence that would warrant a deeper probe into the tragedy.
A High Court judge stated that a commission of inquiry report issued in 2013 had already identified the incident's "immediate cause" as well as the, "structural causes rooted in the design and equipment on board the vessel."
In early 2024, a group of lawyers representing the families of four of the victims told the High Court that additional police investigations have yielded new evidence warranting the inquest.
The Coroner's Court then held a closed-door, pre-inquest review on March 28 of that year. The review was for the purpose of examining reports and statements from 329 witnesses.