San Francisco Frontiers - Survivors, families seek answers to deadly Hong Kong ferry disaster

Philip Chiu and his family had boarded the Lamma IV ferry at the quiet pier of an outlying island in 2012, travelling towards the city's Victoria Harbour for a close-up view of a dazzling fireworks display.

It was October 1 -- China's national day -- and spirits were high among passengers. On board, Chiu spotted a large, bright object approaching, but by the time he recognised it as another vessel, it was too late.

"It hit us at high speed. I was knocked flat on to the deck," the 63-year-old newspaper editor told AFP.

The Lamma IV sank in less than two minutes, killing 31 adults and eight children. It became the city's worst maritime disaster since 1971.

Chiu, his wife and two-year-old daughter were rescued that night, but his elder sister was unaccounted for.

"I had a very bad feeling... It was completely dark outside and I couldn't see anything. I wanted to jump in to save my sister," Chiu recalled through tears.

The ferry had tilted backwards, its stern sinking into the sea bed while its bow jutted into the sky like a blade.

Chiu's sister was later found trapped near the bottom.

"My mother asked me, 'Why didn't you save your sister?'" he said.

"I didn't know how to answer."

- The puzzle -

Hong Kong courts jailed the two helmsmen involved, as well as two Marine Department employees who failed to ensure Lamma IV had lifejackets for children.

A judge-led commission found in 2013 that the rapid sinking was key to the catastrophic loss of life.

The crash should have flooded just two of the boat's six watertight compartments, but a missing door meant that three were compromised, dooming the vessel.

"There was a litany of errors committed at almost every stage by many different people," the commission said, referring to the boat's design, construction and surveying.

A separate government probe alleged misconduct by 17 Marine Department officers, but their names and the full report were not disclosed for privacy reasons.

Sales manager Alice Leung, who lost her 23-year-old brother that night, said she and other bereaved families took it upon themselves to seek "justice and the truth" after government efforts stalled.

"This incident is more complex than a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle," Leung told AFP.

"Over the past decade, we never saw the full picture."

The coroner held a death inquest this year -- the hard-won result of a lawsuit by Leung and Chiu -- which heard from 84 witnesses, many answering questions publicly for the first time.

Seated in the courtroom, Leung sobbed when she finally learned what happened to her brother, a well-liked trainee engineer whose body was found with head lacerations.

"For even the smallest details, the families want to know," she said. "His death was too sudden, too pointless."

- 'Complacent' -

Architectural photographer Ryan Tsui, 49, described his 13-year advocacy as a "blood feud" he could not let go.

Tsui's brother and niece boarded the Lamma IV on what happened to be the girl's 10th birthday. Both were killed.

"When we played (as children), boys would rarely hug each other," he said.

"The first time I hugged my brother was when I carried the urn of his ashes."

Tsui said he followed the inquest with "incredulity" as one witness after another dodged responsibility for the missing watertight door, a fault traced back to the ship's origin at a local shipyard.

"Every mistake that could be made was made, and each of the parties was complacent," Tsui said, referring to testimony by shipyard directors, inspectors and mariners.

The flaw escaped attention despite government employees checking the Lamma IV dozens of times since it was licensed to sail in 1996.

"The government bears major responsibility," Chiu said, after a visit to his sister's grave.

"If the government doesn't change its culture, it will always make these mistakes."

The Marine Department told AFP it had amended marine safety laws and set up a dedicated team to "strictly review" vessel construction and modification.

After 2012, the average annual death toll in Hong Kong marine accidents fell from 7.6 to 3.3, though the average number of accidents per year stayed roughly the same.

The coroner is set to determine the cause of death on Thursday, but has no authority to punish culprits.

Chiu suffered permanent damage to his hearing and struggled with claustrophobia for years, while Tsui said the ordeal robbed him of his adventurous personality and made him "a different person".

Leung said Hong Kong leaders have yet to fulfil their vow of accountability and reform, which meant she had no faith that the city could avoid a repeat tragedy.

"Thirty-nine people have died and that cannot be undone," she said.

"The coroner holding an inquest was very encouraging, but true relief comes from seeing a more robust Hong Kong."

A.Evans--SFF