Ferry travelling between Hong Kong islands sinks but all 15 on board rescued

High waves and a strong current were blamed when a ferry travelling between Hong Kong islands took on water and later sank on Wednesday.

The single-deck boat carrying 13 passengers and two crew members was travelling from Cheung Chau to Shek Kwu Chau when the incident happened soon before 3pm. Its crew then called police.

A police spokesman said another ferry came from Shek Kwu Chau to pick up 11 of those on board before the vessel sank. The remaining four were forced to jump into the sea.

The other ferry retrieved three people from the water and a fireboat picked up the fourth man, he added.

Police said no one was injured or needed hospital treatment. The sunken vessel was described as measuring 15 by 5 metres.

An initial investigation found nothing suspicious, the spokesman said.