The wreck of a boat that sank in a collision off Hong Kong, killing 38 people, was examined Wednesday after being hauled to shore as the city sought answers to its worst maritime accident in decades.
The Lamma IV passenger boat, with the back end of the vessel badly damaged after a collision, lies near the shores of Hong Kong's Lamma island on October 3, 2012.
The Lamma IV was towed to a beach to reveal a gaping hole in its left rear where it collided with the Sea Smooth ferry on Monday evening, causing its stern to fill with water within minutes.
More than 120 passengers and crew were on the Hong Kong Electric company vessel to watch a huge National Day fireworks display in Victoria Harbour when the collision occurred just off Lamma, an island to the west of Hong Kong.
The stricken ferry limped to Lamma where its shaken but relatively unharmed passengers disembarked before it took on too much water from a hole in its left hull, which was sheared off in the impact.
Investigators pored over the pleasure boat Lamma IV as they tried to piece together how such an accident could have occurred in one of the world's busiest ports, which prides itself on its state-of-the-art transport infrastructure.
Police arrested the captains of both vessels on Tuesday along with five crew. Six of the detainees were released on bail, and the ferry captain was to be released on bail later.
Police chief Tsang Wai-hung said the suspects "did not exercise the care required of them by law to ensure the safety of the vessels they were operating and the people on board", pointing to human error as the likely cause.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced three days of public mourning starting Thursday, when funeral services for the victims are expected to begin.
He also called for an independent inquiry, as the accident raised questions about whether the regional banking hub's maritime transport infrastructure had kept up with the huge growth in demand from mainland visitors.
Prakash Metaparti, an assistant professor in Logistics and Maritime Studies at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said the deadliest maritime accident in the territory since 1971 was probably a case of human error.
"They should be able to navigate even in zero visibility with the radar. It's surprising that they didn't see each other... they should have seen each other," he told AFP.
"Most likely they misunderstood each other's intentions."
He said the crew of the stricken Lamma IV, which was operated by Hong Kong Electric power company, may not have followed basic safety procedures.
"I don't think the children were wearing life jackets, and obviously there was no passenger list," he said.
At least five children were killed in the collision, officials said.
"Given our love and dependence on the sea, good has to come from this calamity. The investigation has to lead to even higher standards than the present ones," the South China Morning Post said in an editorial.
Ferry operator Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Holdings spoke for the first time about the accident on Wednesday, saying its captain was a 20-year veteran and it would cooperate with the investigation.
General manager Nelson Ng, who lost two relatives in the collision, vowed to
cooperate with the investigation and rejected allegations from Hong Kong Electric executives that the ferry abandoned the sinking Lamma IV.
"We stopped at the scene and did not leave immediately, but what actually happened is up to the investigation to determine," he said.