H.K. ferry crash captains face manslaughter charges: reports 11 апреля 2013, 13:52

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The two captains involved in a Hong Kong ferry collision last year that claimed 39 lives in the city's worst maritime disaster in decades will be charged with manslaughter, AFP says citing reports. The two men will be brought to court later Thursday to face 39 counts of manslaughter, public broadcaster RTHK said without identifying its source. The South China Morning Post has also reported that the duo will be charged. Police declined to immediately confirm the report when contacted by AFP. The incident saw a high-speed ferry, the Sea Smooth, collide with a pleasure craft, the Lamma IV, carrying around 120 passengers on a company trip to watch national day fireworks on October 1 last year. Police arrested the captains of both vessels along with five crew at the time, pointing to possible human error as the cause of the accident. The government has set up a commission to look into the reason of the crash, which happened near Lamma Island, a popular spot with expatriates. The commission is due to report its findings later this month. Investigators have pored over last year's crash, trying to piece together how such an accident could have happened in a city which prides itself on its state-of-the-art transport infrastructure.

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