XN000022-1985-04-04 — Page 7

THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1985

FOLLOWING THE OUTBREAK OF FIRE, THE TWO CHINESE VESSELS +TS IN TSUN 300+ AND +YUET KONG 365+, CAST OFF FROM WAI MOON NO. 7, AND, CARRYING A NUMBER OF WORKERS WHO HAD CROSSED OVER FROM OTHER WAL MOON LIGHTERS, LEFT THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY.

MOORING LINES SECURING THE BURNING LIGHTERS TO WAI MOON NO. 7 WERE LET GO AND LIGHTERS WAI MOON NOS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 AND 8 AND TAK WAH DRIFTED SOUTHEASTWARDS, INITIALLY REMAINING CLOSE TOGETHER IN A GROUP, AND THEN DRIFTED APART AS THE REMAINING MOORING ROPES WERE BURNED BY THE FIRE.

FIRE SPREAD FROM WAI MOON NO. 6 SUCCESSIVELY ACROSS THE FIRST ROW OF LIGHTERS TO WAI MOON NOS. 8, 2 AND 3, AND THEN TO WAI MOON NO. 4, TAK WAH AND WAI MOON NO. 5, IN THE SECOND ROW.

A NUMBER OF EXPLOSIONS OCCURRED DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF THE FIRE AND NUMEROUS FIREWORKS DISCHARGED INTO THE AIR LANDING ON LIGHTERS AND IN THE SEA.

BY 1015 HOURS, WAI MOON NO. 3 WAS BROUGHT TO ANCHOR, WHILST THE REMAINING BURNING LIGHTERS DRIFTED APART IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTON.

FLAMES, EXTENDING TO AN ESTIMATED HEIGHT OF 30 METRES, WERE FANNED BY A NORTH-WESTERLY WIND AND BY 1018 HOURS SMOKE ROSE TO AN ESTIMATED HEIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 610 METRES. BY 1020 HOURS A NUMBER OF MARINE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES HAD ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AND WERE ENGAGED IN THE RESCUE OF SURVIVORS FROM THE HARBOUR, IN CONJUNCTION WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL VESSELS. A TOTAL OF 12 PERSONS, INCLUDING ONE IN AN UNCONSCIOUS STATE, WERE TAKEN ON BOARD MARINE DEPARTMENT LAUNCH NO. 45 BY 1050 HOURS. FIRE BOAT ALEXANDER GRANTHAM+ ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AT 1026 HOURS AND COMMENCED FIRE FIGHTING OPERATION WITH WATER JETS.

FOLLOWING A RAPID RESPONSE FROM A NUMBER OF MARINE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES ORDERED TO THE SCENE, THOSE SUITABLY EQUIPPED COMMENCED FIGHTING THE FIRE ON THE BURNING LIGHTERS WITH WATER JETS. A NUMBER OF MARINE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES TOOK THE BURNING LIGHTERS IN TOW, AND BY 1318 HOURS, SIX LIGHTERS WERE SECURED ALONGSIDE WESTERN RECLAMATION, WHERE THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT TOOK OVER FIRE FIGHTING OPÉRATIONS FROM THE SEAWALL. THE SEVEN BURNING LIGHTERS WERE SECURED IN THE SAME LOCATION AT 1500 HOURS.

MR KWAN KAM-SHING, AGED 35 YEARS, WHO HAD BEEN WORKING IN THE HOLD OF WAI MOON NO. 8, AT THE TIME OF THE OUTBREAK OF THE FIRE, WAS UNCONSCIOUS WHEN RESCUED FROM THE SEA. HE WAS CERTIFIED DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL. NO EXTERNAL WOUNDS WERE PRESENT ON MR KWAN'S BODY.

TEN PERSONS WERE INJURED AND TREATED IN HOSPITAL.

/IMMEDIATELY PRIOR