Human errors blamed for deadly ferry crash in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Commission of Inquiry into causes behind the deadly ferry collision on Oct. 1 continued its hearing on Thursday, with a British maritime expert saying the accident resulted from human errors.

British Captain Nigel Robert Pryke told the inquiry that the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry -- "Sea Smooth" -- was "primarily responsible" for the collision, local media reported.

Pryke said that "Sea Smooth" captain had taken a port tack around one minute before the collision, which was in clear contravention of international maritime regulations. Related regulations stipulate that two vessels, which might collide, should take a starboard tack to avoid collision.

Pryke also said the captain of the Lamma IV, which was carrying more than 100 people to see the National Day fireworks in the Victoria Harbor and sank shortly after the collision, was not blameless. He said the skipper did not take positive action in time to avoid the collision.

Thirty-nine people were killed and nearly 100 others injured in the ferry collision, which was the most serious maritime accident in Hong Kong in the last 40 years.