Three passengers on a Star Ferry vessel were injured when it slammed into a pier wall in Wan Chai on Thursday.
The victims – a five-year-old girl, her father, 32, and another man, 47 – suffered minor injuries and were taken to Ruttonjee Hospital.The incident happened at about 12.45pm Thursday, when the double-deck “Silver Star” ferry arriving from Tsim Sha Tsui hit a wall while berthing at Wan Chai Ferry Pier.
A Star Ferry spokesman said the vessel was carrying about 50 passengers to Wan Chai and “failed in reversing its propulsion, lost engine control and hit the pier wall”.
“The cause of the incident is a broken gear pin,” the spokesman said, adding that the company had reported the incident to the Marine Department.He said the ferry was towed to Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier after passengers disembarked and that the vessel was later taken to its dock in Tsing Yi for contingency repairs.
The company spokesman described the incident as “rare” and “isolated”, adding that the vessel passed its biyearly inspection earlier this year.
According to a police spokesman, the hospitalised 47-year-old sustained injuries to his head and hand, while the 32-year-old man hurt his waist and his daughter had minor facial injuries.
The ferry suffered minor damage in its bow, and there was minor damage to the pier wall at the waterfront off Convention Avenue.
The Marine Department was looking into the incident.
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