Ferry carrying 470 passengers sinking off South Korea

[webfact]

Ferry carrying 470 passengers sinking off South Korea
Choi He-suk
The Korea Herald

SEOUL: -- A ferry carrying about 470 passengers was reported as sinking off the coast of Jindo Island in South Jeolla Province on Wednesday.

The vessel, which was heading to Jejudo Island from Incheon, sent out an emergency call early Wednesday.

The Coast Guard is reported to have arrived at the scene at about 8:50am.

The ferry is thought to have hit a reef due to thick fog. The meteorological office, however, said that the area was clear with visibility of about 20 kilometres.

The passengers are reported to comprise mostly of students of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province on a school trip to Jejudo Island. About 324 students and 10 school staff are on board. Including the crew and other passengers, 471 people are said to be aboard the vessel.

As of about 10am, 120 passengers had been removed from the sinking ferry with Navy and civilian vessels at the scene to help with the rescue efforts.


-- ANN 2014-04-16

[BwindiBoy]

BBC1 is reporting that all associated (338) with the school are safe and have been rescued - per YTN news channel - so it looks promising that everyone on board is safe and well.

[EyesWideOpen]

How bizarre to hit a reef in this day and age. Every ship has a GPS navigation system that places

the ship with a accuracy of a few feet. They also have electronic charts that show every feature of

the ocean floor. Maybe the captain fell asleep.........

[JoePai]

How bizarre to hit a reef in this day and age. Every ship has a GPS navigation system that places

the ship with a accuracy of a few feet. They also have electronic charts that show every feature of

the ocean floor. Maybe the captain fell asleep.........

The Captain does have to sleep sometime, however the Helmsman should not - while on duty ........................

[BwindiBoy]

BBC1 now saying initial YTN reports incorrect. Latest, 1 dead, only 160 odd rescued so far. Not looking too good after all.

[EyesWideOpen]

How bizarre to hit a reef in this day and age. Every ship has a GPS navigation system that places

the ship with a accuracy of a few feet. They also have electronic charts that show every feature of

the ocean floor. Maybe the captain fell asleep.........

The Captain does have to sleep sometime, however the Helmsman should not - while on duty ........................

I was being figurative..... :-) Will be curious to see the actual cause of this accident...

[webfact]

One dead in sinking South Korean ferry

SEOUL: -- South Korea's coastguard said Wednesday it had confirmed one death from a ferry that sank off the southern coast with 476 passengers and crew.

"We have recovered one body from the ship so far," a coastguard spokesman told AFP.

South Korean coastguard vessels were despatched Wednesday to rescue around 350 passengers - mostly high school students - on a ferry sinking off the southeastern coast, Yonhap news agency said, according to AFP.

The ferry had been travelling from the western port of Incheon to the southern resort island of Jeju when it ran into trouble, Yonhap said, adding that coastguard and naval vessels were involved in the rescue operation.

Source: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_16/One-dead-in-in-sinking-South-Korean-ferry-7838/

-- THE VOICE OF RUSSIA 2014-04-16

[webfact]

RT @ThaipbsEngNews: UPDATE: 2 killed ,197 rescued as South Korea Ferry sinking off the coast of Jindo Island (phto : @TheKoreaHerald) http://t.co/No20Oo9BlA

[webfact]

Two dead, 107 missing as passenger ship sinks off S. Korean coast
English.news.cn

SEOUL, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A passenger ship with 477 people aboard, mostly high school students, sank in waters off South Korea's southwest coast Wednesday morning, leaving at least two dead and 107 others missing, local media reported.

The 6,325-ton passenger ship "SEWOL" was capsized and sank down into waters off the Jindo Island, just off the southwest corner of the Korean Peninsula, at around 11:30 a.m. local time Wednesday.

The ferry, which was carrying 453 passengers and 24 crew members, sent out a distress signal at about 8:55 a.m. and had floated in the waters for some two and a half hours with its body being on the careen.

The vessel was believed to run aground in the waters as some rescued passengers said the ship began to careen to the port side after making a banging sound on the bow.

The ferry went off the pre-arranged sea route as it departed some two and a half hours later than scheduled due to a thick fog.

The Coast Guard was quoted as saying that a 22-year-old female crew member and a high school male student have been found dead.

Full story: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-04/16/c_133266809.htm

-- Xinhua 2014-04-16

[Mosha]

BBC - 2 confirmed dead 295 missing

[Somtamnication]

So many children...oh so sad.

[webfact]

290 reported missing in South Korean ferry sinking

Seoul - Around 290 people are officially missing after the sinking of a South Korean ferry, national media reported Wednesday.

The government in Seoul said a previous figure of about 100 missing was incorrect, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

The passengers were mostly secondary school students on a field trip to Jeju island south of the mainland.


-- The Nation 2014-04-16

[EyesWideOpen]

290 missing ??? Holy crap...... :-( :-( Massive ferry accidents seem to be a staple

of Philippine news, am somewhat stunned to see an accident with a South Korean ferry..

[WoopyDoo]

How very sad.

News is very sketchy during these times. I do hope that the figures improve as the picture becomes clearer.

[Basil B]

324 children, I wonder if the ship had enough infant life preservers?

[Mosha]

It was a new ship, it had a capacity for around 750, not sure of the age of the children but high school suggests 11 and over.

[celso]

That's terrible. Is it possible a lot could still be alive inside the ship? If there are pockets of air.

[ggt]

If they had packed in only 469 passengers...this would never have happened...

[webfact]

SOUTH KOREA
Nine dead, hundreds feared trapped in ferry sinking


Photo : EPA

SEOUL: -- The confirmed death toll reached nine in the South Korean ferry sinking Thursday, as fears grew for hundreds still missing.

The latest three bodies were found when military divers and other rescuers resumed their search shortly after noon, the coast guard was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.

Top priority was checking inside the ship for 287 people still missing, officials were quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency, amid strong currents and murky waters as cold as 12 degrees.

So far 179 people have been rescued, 50 with injuries, Yonhap reported.

A total of 325 of the passengers were students from a suburban Seoulhigh school on a trip to the resort island of Jeju, about 80 kilometres south of the mainland.

The crew sent a distress signal at 8:58 am (2358 GMT Tuesday). The coast guard said the ship listed to one side and began taking on water. It sank in two hours.

More than 100 ships and planes from the military and coast guard scoured the area, the Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday.

Fishing boats joined the operations, and more than 550 divers were deployed.The United States said Wednesday its 7th Fleet stood "ready to assist with the search and rescue efforts," and the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard has moved to the area.


-- The Nation 2014-04-17

[Tywais]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFWFqXl_-0w

[Mosha]

Amateut footage shows the passengers told ro stay put, moments before the ship capsized

[I Like Thai]

Could it have hit a submarine. I'd imagine the sea around there is full of them.

[Mosha]

1 theory is the ship turned sharply, causing cargo and cars to shift. Once a ship passes 5* list, it's too late. Only 2 of the 46 lifeboats were launched!

[Somtamnication]

From news today, April 18th., the captain and the crew may have jumped to safety first. Some of the sos texts may have been faked and the rescuers are not coordinating well among themselves. Truly sad how this is unfolding.

[webfact]

THE KOREA HERALD
Rapid direction change may cause the sinking
The Korea Herald/Asia News Network


Photo : Yonhap

SEOUL: -- A joint investigation team on Friday raided the office of Cheonghaejin Marine Co., the owner and operator of the Sewol ferry that sank Wednesday to probe allegations that the mishap may have been caused by an attempt to change direction too sharply.

Computer files and documents related to the ferry were procured by some 10 officials at the office in Incheon.

The raid kicked off the probe into allegations that the Sewol took an alternative route on its fateful journey from Incheon to Jeju, and whether human error affected the accident, which took lives of at least 25 as of 10 a.m. Friday. Some 271 remain unaccounted for.

Sewol, a 6,825-ton ship carrying 475 people, abruptly turned left on the day of the accident. This is thought to have caused the ferry to capsize.

According to reports, the Coast Guard arrived at a preliminary conclusion that the Sewol ferry turned too quickly to the left, causing it to lose balance, and ultimately to capsize.

Based on the accounts provided by crew members, the investigators suspect that the Sewol sharply changed direction when only a gradual change was required. As the ship lost balance, its steering equipment is thought to have malfunctioned.

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Sewol took a sharp turn at 8:48 a.m., four minutes before the Coast Guard received the first report that the ship was experiencing problems.

The ministry's analysis of the ship's monitoring system also showed that the Sewol then moved about 100 meters to the south. The vessel then drifted for about 70 minutes, moving about 1,600 meters to where it later capsized.

The sudden direction change is suspected to have pushed motor vehicles and cargo aboard the ship to one side, causing the vessel to lose balance. The Sewol was carrying 180 vehicles and over 1,100 tons of cargo.

The accident occurred near the point where ships on the Incheon-Jejudo route usually change direction.

Survivors have told media that the Sewol jolted on two occasions as it tilted at a 90-degree angle and again as it capsized. Fishermen who took part in the early rescue efforts have given supporting accounts.

The Coast Guard summoned the ship's captain for questioning to determine further details about the situation.

The captain, identified as Lee, was initially questioned as a witness but his status has since been changed to that of a suspect.

The Coast Guard also said that the Sewol deviated from the route recommended by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, giving substance to the speculation that the ship's captain may have been attempting to make up for lost time. The Sewol's departure from Incheon, its port of origin, was delayed due to heavy fog.

With new evidence emerging, the authorities now suspect that the loud bang that survivors reported hearing just before the ferry began sinking was made by cargo that had come loose. Accounts from survivors had led to speculation that the Sewol may have hit a reef when it sent out an emergency signal at 8:52 a.m. Wednesday.


-- The Nation 2014-04-18

[Chicog]

The School vice principal who was rescued from the ship has now been found hanged.

How sad.

[Basil B]

Reports this morning are the 3rd officer was at the helm.

I am wondering if it was a steering failure and it was cargo and vehicles moving that caused the banging, not hitting a reef as first indicated, there are many pictures of the up turned hull but I have not seen any rips in the hull.

[webfact]

SOUTH KOREA
Vice principal of Danwon High School found dead in apparent suicide
The Korea Herald

SEOUL: -- The vice principal of Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, was found dead in an apparent suicide on Friday, three days after hundreds of his students died or went missing in a ferry disaster.

The 52-year-old vice principal, surnamed Kang, apparently hanged himself on a tree on the hill close to a gymnasium in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, where a disaster information center was set up for the families of the victims.

The police had searched Kang since Thursday. As of Friday afternoon, 28 of the 475 passengers -- mostly students who were on a school trip to Jejudo Island -- were confirmed dead while 268 remained unaccounted for. A total of 179 have been rescued.


-- The Nation 2014-04-18

[stevecm]

The School vice principal who was rescued from the ship has now been found hanged.

How sad.

Thats terrible news. wasn't his fault but felt it was. this just gets worse.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[FiftyTwo]

How can this possibly happen in this day and age.

Even my phone has GPS!

So sad, and someone needs to go to jail for a very long time.