Death inquest for victims of 2012 Lamma Island ferry disaster set to begin this year

A total of 329 witness statements and reports were received by the Coroners Court as a pre-inquest review was conducted on Thursday.

The Court is set to start the death inquest this year. 

The closed-door pre-inquest review was held this morning, with some of the victims' family members present in person and others represented by their legal teams. 

The hearing was not open to the public or the media, and a summary was distributed to reporters after the judicial proceedings. 

It is understood that Hong Kong Electric, which owns the Lamma IV, Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry, which operates the Sea Smooth, the shipyard responsible for the Lamma IV, and the Marine Department, responsible for vessel inspections, have been identified as interested parties. 

According to the court documents, Coroner Monica Chow Wai-choo received the preliminary reports on the cause of death of the victims this month, including statements and reports from 329 witnesses, and the police are expected to submit a complete report on the cause of death by early June this year.

She also plans to hold a second review before September, where a witness list, written statements, expert reports, and a list of evidence will be prepared. As the case has been ongoing for quite some time, Chow set the goal of holding the inquest within this year, unless there are exceptional circumstances that may require a different approach.

The police are investigating the height of the Lamma IV's watertight bulkheads and the presence of metal fragments on the Sea Smooth ferry's bow. 

It is not yet known whether the inquest will be heard by a jury.

This came more than 11 years after the Lamma Island ferry disaster that claimed 39 lives, with the Court of Appeal ruling in favor of the victims’ families' appeal in July last year and ordering an inquest to be conducted for the victims.