Scores dead as Hong Kong ferries collide

Two passenger boats collided and one sunk off Hong Kong late on Monday, leaving scores killed and dozens injured. 

According to news reports, the passengers of the stricken boat had been on their way to watch a huge fireworks display in Hong Kong harbour when their boat collided with another ferry, filling with water and quickly sinking. As at Tuesday morning, 36 people were certified dead and that over a hundred others were hurt, the reports said.

More than 120 passengers and crew were on the boat, which sank off rustic Lamma island, some three kilometres (two miles) from Hong Kong island, sparking a major rescue operation.

Over 100 people were sent to five hospitals during the incident, according to a statement from the city's Fire Services Department (FSD). The rescue operation was hampered by darkness and "many obstacles onboard, the FSD added.

Officials said they are not ruling out the possibility of people still trapped inside the sunk vessel or are still missing. Police said the cause of the accident was not yet known.