Legal Challenge Over Lamma IV Sinking Verdict Ends in Hong Kong High Court
Hızlı Bakış
- A legal challenge by four plaintiffs against the Coroner's Court verdict on the 2012 Lamma IV sinking, which killed 39 people, has ended in Hong Kong's High Court.
- The plaintiffs withdrew their application after the Legal Aid Department rejected their funding request.
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The Lamma IV, carrying 124 HK Electric employees and relatives, sank on October 1, 2012, after colliding with the Sea Smooth near Lamma Island, resulting in 39 deaths. A Coroner's Court verdict in March ruled the deaths unlawful due to gross negligence by the ships' coxswains.
High Court Judge Herbert Au-yeung Ho-wing said on Wednesday that the proceedings had ended after the plaintiffs informed the court two days ago they would not continue the legal challenge.
The four plaintiffs – Alice Leung Shuk-ling, Leung Ka-yan, Philip Chiu Ping-chuen and Tsui Keung – lodged the application in April after the Coroner’s Court reached its verdict over the deaths of 39 people on October 1, 2012.
The Lamma IV, which was carrying 124 HK Electric employees and their relatives to watch the National Day fireworks over Victoria Harbour, sank after it was hit by the catamaran Sea Smooth near Lamma Island. It was the city’s deadliest maritime accident in decades.
The South China Morning Post learned that the victims’ relatives had to stop the proceedings because their application to the Legal Aid Department was rejected.
Coroner Monica Chow Wai-choo ruled in March that the killing of the 39 people was unlawful, pointing to gross negligence by the ships’ two coxswains as one of the reasons for the crash.
But on a contention over the absence of a watertight door on the underdeck of the sunken Lamma IV, Chow ruled that the omission was deliberate and complied with regulations when the vessel was being built in 1994 and 1995.
Açık Sorular
- What were the specific reasons for the Legal Aid Department's rejection?
- Will the victims' relatives pursue other avenues for justice?
- What are the implications for maritime safety regulations?
