Barge crew blames fatal crash on ferry

A fatal collision between a catamaran from Hong Kong and a sand barge in a Panyu port on Thursday night was the fault of the catamaran, the crew of the barge said yesterday.

The mainland-registered high-speed catamaran, which had left the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui at about 6.10pm, suddenly changed course and caused the collision, the wife of the barge captain, a Mrs Law, said.

Two Dutch tourists died and nine other people, including two Hongkongers, were injured on the ferry, which was carrying 75 passengers and nine crew.

'It was running fast. It suddenly changed lanes and crashed into the front of our vessel. How could we avoid it?' the woman said. 'There was no wind and no waves. The weather was good and there was no fog. We navigated our boat as usual.'

Her husband said the two boats noticed each other and signalled with navigation lights at a distance of about 500 metres, but 'it suddenly changed course when we got closer'.

A Panyu marine official told TVB it was too early to say whether the catamaran caused the accident. He said mechanical inspection was needed as part of the investigation.

The catamaran, the San Bo, collided with the sand barge around 7.45pm on Thursday, about 10 minutes' journey from its destination, Lianhuashan Ferry Terminal, its Hong Kong agency, Chu Kong Passenger Transport, said. An assistant manager, surnamed Wong, said mainland authorities were still investigating the cause of the incident.