Hong Kong ferry disaster captain jailed for eight years

The captain of a passenger ferry that collided with another boat in Hong Kong, killing 39 people, has been jailed for eight years.

Lai Sai-ming, who captained the Sea Smooth in the 2012 collision, was convicted of manslaughter on Saturday.

His vessel hit a pleasure boat, the Lamma IV, which then partially sank.

The captain of the Lamma IV was acquitted of manslaughter but convicted of endangering the safety of others at sea.

The crash, near Lamma Island, was Hong Kong's worst maritime accident since 1971.

It happened on 1 October, China's National Day, when the Lamma IV was carrying employees of Hong Kong Electric and their families to watch a firework display.

Several of those who died were trapped inside the boat, which filled with water fast after the collision with the ferry ripped open its side.