Hong Kong ferry disaster survivor says life jackets locked away before sinking
Lamma Island ferry disaster has told a court inquest that the life jackets were locked away and he was unable to get one by himself before his ferry sank following its collision with another vessel.
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Philip Chiu Ping-chuen, whose sister died in the tragedy, on Thursday became the first witness to provide verbal testimony at the coroner's inquiry into the accident that took place on October 1, 2012.
That night, the Lamma Island-bound Sea Smooth, operated by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, crashed into the Lamma IV, which was taking 124 HK Electric employees and their relatives to see the National Day fireworks in Victoria Harbour.
The former was able to continue its journey to Yung Shue Wan Pier, but the Lamma IV sank in less than two minutes, partly due to design flaws, resulting in 39 deaths – the city's worst maritime disaster since 1971.
Chiu, a newspaper editor, said he went to get a life jacket after the collision at around 8.22pm, only to find out the safety apparatus closest was locked behind a 'metal frame' that could not be accessed without a crew member.
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The court heard that an HK Electric employee got the key from the crew and unlocked the life jackets about 30 seconds later.
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