I feel very sad. It was an accident, insists owner

Insurance companies had refused to provide cover for the ill-fated King Roger, its owner, Rogelio Alenzuela, admitted yesterday while insisting he had not been negligent in the deaths of seven Hong Kong tourists.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post while in custody in Manila's Western Police District headquarters Alenzuela, 52, refused to apologise for the incident.

'I feel very sad. But it was an accident. I have been praying with my wife for the deceased and I have not been able to sleep well at night since the accident took place,' he said.

'My wife and I are very worried. But I'm co-operating with the police. I think I have an obligation to do that.' Alenzuela was not on the boat for Friday's outing. It was piloted by his 24-year-old nephew, Romeo Parcon.

Parcon had told him that he had warned the tour guide minutes after they set off they were likely to hit heavy seas, he said.

'I understand he told the tour guide to make sure the boat was balanced, not to let the passengers all stay on one side of the boat as the sea was very choppy,' Alenzuela said. 'They did not follow his instructions and the ship capsized.' A preliminary report by the Tourism Department said the boat was hit by a giant wave and tipped over after the passengers moved to one side to avoid getting wet.

But the allegations were rejected by survivors, who said that by the time the tour guide asked them to move it was already pitching so heavily they could not even stand up.