'I was in a dire situation': Firefighter recalls dramatic rescue inside sinking Lamma ferry
Thirty bodies were pulled from vessel in hours after collision
Thirty bodies were recovered by police and firefighters in the wreckage of the Hongkong Electric launch Lamma IV on October 1 and 2 last year.
Bodies of 17 women, seven men and three boys were found by firemen and police found two women and a man after searching under water for more than 18 hours, the inquiry heard.
The Lamma IV collided with the ferry Sea Smooth as it carried passengers to view the National Day firework display, killing 39.
Firefighter Tam Kam-lun recalled how he almost sank under the weight of three unconscious people after he and colleagues decided to break the window of the sinking vessel to release trapped passengers, some of them without flotation aids. "Some of them had fear, anxiety and helplessness written all over their faces," he said.
He then retrieved two unconscious women and an unconscious man from the wreckage.
"As my life jacket could not support the weight of four adults at the same time, my body and head were already under water. I was in a dire situation," Tam said.