April 16, 2014 photo shows helicopters heading to aid 476 passengers and crew aboard a South Korean ferry sinking on its way to Jeju island from Incheon, some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo.
SEOUL — At least four people are dead and nearly 300 missing after a ferry boat sank off South Korea＇s southern coast Wednesday. Authorities initially reported most of the passengers were rescued but quickly backtracked and raised casualty figures dramatically as the scale of the tragedy became clear.
South Korean authorities said the passenger ferry was carrying 459 passengers when it sent out a distress signal at nine o＇clock in the morning.
Reports quoted passengers said they heard a loud noise before the 6,000-ton vessel began to tilt and then capsize and sink. It was almost completely submerged in just hours.
Scores of Coast Guard, military, and private vessels responded to the disaster to rescue survivors. They were joined by helicopters and Navy divers to search the area and sunken wreckage.
Most of those on board were high school students headed from Incheon to the southern resort island Jeju on a four-day school trip.
South Korean authorities initially reported 368 passengers were rescued, including all of the students. But, just minutes later, authorities dropped the estimate dramatically.
Kang Byung-kyu is Minister of Security and Public Administration. He said as part of search and rescue efforts they will send three cranes to lift the sunken ship in the next two days.
He said of the number of people who have been found so far, 78 on the list of rescued are students.
The students all were from Ansan a town just south of Seoul.
Compounding the tragedy, the municipal office of education sent out a text message to parents saying all their children were safe.
School authorities said they quickly organized buses for parents to be taken to the scene.
The ship, the Sewol, sank at a depth of 30 meters, leading to speculation it may have come aground or hit a rock.
South Korean media reports said the ferry＇s regular captain was on vacation and another captain was at the helm.
Lee Jong-in is a representative of Salvage Company Alpha and an expert on maritime safety and rescue.
He said the ferry company will investigate the sinking, but the captain could have been careless. He said ultimately the captain of the ship is the one responsible for it.
Lee said such incidents are rare in South Korea. The last major sinking was the Navy vessel Cheonan in 2010, which Seoul said was hit by a North Korean torpedo, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang denies it was responsible.
South Korea＇s President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday visited the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures headquarters. She urged them to do their best to rescue the missing. |
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