It is not yet clear what caused the car ferry 'Sewol' to sink during what should have been a routine voyage.
'There are around 450 people on board
A huge rescue operation has managed to save more than 368 people including hundreds of terrified high school children from a sinking South Korean passenger ferry after half the ship began dangerously submerging into the sea on Wednesday April 16,2014
At least two people - an employee of the boat company and a student - were killed and 14 passengers were injured as the ship sank, officials confirmed.
Dozens of boats, helicopters and divers scrambled to rescue more than 470 people were were aboard the 6,825-ton ferry.
Officials said 164 people have been rescued so far, but the South Korean coast guard fear the number of casualties could rise as they continue to drag passengers out of the water.
The ferry was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call around 8:58a.m. local time Wednesday morning April 16,2014 after it began leaning to one side
The water temperature in the area was about 12 degrees Celsius, cold enough to cause signs of hypothermia after about 90 minutes or 2 hours, according to an emergency official who spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules.
352 students from Danwon High School in Ansan city just south of Seoul were on their way to Jeju island for a 4-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi Province, which governs the city.
The ferry left Incheon port, just west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening April 15,2014, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs & Port Administration.
Members of the South Korea Coast Guard rescue passengers and crew as the ferry lists perilously to one side
A total of 16 helicopters, 34 rescue vessels and navy divers were sent to the area, a vice minister for South Korea's Public Administration and Security Ministry, told a news conference
No comments:
Post a Comment