HONG KONG - More than 70 people were injured when one of Hong Kong's local ferry hit a concrete object inside the port on Friday morning.

Spokesman from marine department told Xinhua 73 people were injured while the lasted number from the ferry company, First Ferry, was 76.

The accident happened around 5:15 am, five minutes after the ferry departed from outlying island Cheung Chou to Central, a business district on the main Hong Kong island, carrying 140 people, said the marine department.

The concrete object which the ferry had crashed into appears to be a pier to secure vessels.

Most people were at sleep when the accident happened all of a sudden feeling like a car accident with loud noise, the local media reported citing passengers on board the trouble-making ferry.

People in the front row were badly hurt, some were send to treatments by helicopters, the report said.

An official from the marine department told reporters an investigation team has been set up to look through the accident.