Hong Kong - A cinematographer for the Jackie Chan film Skiptrace drowned today when a motorised sampan capsized, and the actor berated himself for not saving his colleague, said Apple Daily.

Around midnight and after supper, Chan Kwok Hung, 51, and seven others boarded the vessel at Sunny Bay, off Lantau Island, for a shoot in the sea, said the report. Owing to the high wind and waves, the sampan capsized. All of the crew swam back to the shore except Chan, said Apple Daily.

The cinematographer, who was wearing a life jacket, was lifeless when he was found by rescuers.

Chan's credits, as director of photography or camera operator, included the 2007 Nicholas Tse action drama Invisible Target and the 2000 Tony Leung Chiu Wai action comedy Tokyo Raiders. A disciple of director Jingle Ma, Chan was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Hong Kong Film Awards for two Richie Jen romances, 1999's Fly Me To Polaris and 2000's Summer Holiday.

On Weibo tonight, Jackie Chan said: "Yesterday we were still together. Pain! How could I be so incompetent, I didn't save you! My brother, go in peace."

Apple Daily said he was on the shore at the time of the accident. A source said he was resting nearby ahead of a shoot, and awakened by the news of the accident, according to the newspaper. But by the time he was briefed on the situation, it was too late.