HONG KONG: A high-speed ferry traveling from Hong Kong to Macau collided with an “unidentified object” Friday, injuring 87 people and raising new concerns over maritime safety a year after a ferry crash claimed 39 lives.

Last month the city marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal ferry collision off Lamma island, Hong Kong’s worst maritime disaster for over 40 years that sparked widespread shock in a city usually proud of its safety record.

In the latest accident, the double-deck hydrofoil “Madeira” carrying 105 passengers and 10 crew hit “an unidentifiable object” around 1:15am (1720 GMT) near one of Hong Kong’s small outlying islands, boat operator TurboJet said.

“We know 87 people were injured, three of whom are in a serious condition,” a Hong Kong government spokeswoman told AFP.

It was not clear what the object was but passengers described being hurled out of their seats by the force of the nighttime collision.

Multiple passengers were stretchered into ambulances by emergency services staff, some wrapped in neck braces and breathing through oxygen masks. Some of the injured limped away in bandages after treatment at the scene.

Hong Kong’s waters are notoriously crowded. Hundreds of vessels, from rickety wooden sampans to enormous container ships, ply the shipping routes that crisscross the territory every day.

Ferries are a vital part of the transport network, connecting the main urban areas to Hong Kong’s numerous outlying islands, the Chinese mainland and Macau.

Immediately after Friday’s crash three fireboats were scrambled to search the scene but failed to find any object in the water, fire officials said.