Asia

Unsafe at Sea: Asia’s History of Deadly Ferry Disasters

The sinking of the Costa Concordia raises critical questions about maritime safety. The issue is particularly important in parts of South and East Asia, where millions of people rely on often poorly maintained ferries to get around. They brave bad weather and overcrowding, usually because there is no other option. Here are six examples of Asian sea-voyages gone wrong through the decades.

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SS Kiangya — China, 1948

By Jan. 20, 2012
Shun Pao

The wreckage of the SS Kiangya is seen in December, 1948.

Packed with refugees from the Chinese civil war, this passenger steamship likely hit a mine left behind from World War II. The Kiangya exploded and quickly sank in the mouth of the Huangpu River, fifty miles south of Shanghai. The ship’s manifest listed 2,150 passengers, despite an official capacity of 1,186, but there were almost certainly many more stowaways on board. As many as 1,000 people were picked up by other vessels, but 3,920 are thought to have died.

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