Rescuers checked on a partially submerged boat after it collided with another vessel Monday, near Lamma Island, off the southwestern coast of Hong Kong.
HONG KONG — At least 36 people died in a ferry collision in the busy waters off Hong Kong late Monday, in one of the worst disasters the city has seen in years.
[h=4]Connect With Us on Twitter[/h]Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
The accident happened at about 8.30pm local time, when a ferry carrying more than 120 people was struck by another vessel, and quickly sank.
Local media reported that the boat had been on the way to a massive fireworks display that took place in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour to celebrate China’s national day.
As of Tuesday morning, 36 people were confirmed to have been killed in incident, and nine of the more than 100 people who were hospitalized had sustained serious injuries or were in critical condition, according to a government statement.
Rescue operations were continuing Tuesday morning, and the Hong Kong fire department said it could not rule out that there were still people inside the vessel or missing. Low visibility and many obstacles on board were hampering the rescue efforts.
Photos from the site showed the boat half submerged with its bow pointing nearly straight up, off the coast of Lamma Island. One of the largest of Hong Kong’s many outlying islands, Lamma is connected to Hong Kong Island by regular ferry services that take about 30 minutes each way.
Hong Kong has generally good maritime standards, but the waters surrounding this Asian financial and trading hub are often busy with commercial shipping traffic from regional and transcontinental cargo lines. Hong Kong’s port and nearby mainland Chinese ports in the Pearl River Delta rank as some of the busiest in the world.
