Babies among those tossed into the sea as sampan overturns
Fourteen adults and two babies on their way to visit family and friends for Lunar New Year fell into the sea yesterday when their sampan capsized at a jetty in North Lantau.
All managed to reach the Sha Lo Wan jetty, where they were given blankets to cover themselves and waited in a temple before being transported to Tung Chung.
The two baby girls, aged two months and 14 months, were admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital along with five people, aged between 27 and 13, after their chilly ordeal. None of them was injured.
The accident occurred at about 3pm, when the sampan, believed to be overloaded, was anchoring.
A 62-year-old man, surnamed Ng, who was in charge of the craft, was arrested for endangering life at sea. He was released on HK$3,000 bail and has to report back to police on March 9.
The Marine Department said it would investigate whether the sampan was overloaded.
The Observatory said the temperature of the waters off North Lantau was 14 to 15 degrees Celsius yesterday.
One witness, Miss Chan, said the passengers were standing on one side of the boat, preparing to disembark, when it overturned.
The sampans 'do not carry so many people on normal days, but many visitors take the rides to greet their relatives during the Lunar New Year', said Miss Chan, who lived in Sha Lo Wan.
She said the sampans usually carried only four passengers.
Islands District Council vice-chairwoman Chau Chuen-heung said there were ferry services connecting Tung Chung, Tai O and Sha Lo Wan, but the ferries sailed only four times a day.
'You may have to wait for a few hours if you miss a scheduled service,' Ms Chau said. 'Such an inconvenience has pushed the people to take sampan rides, which are usually operated by local villagers.'
The boats normally took only two to three passengers each time, she said.
