Hundreds Missing After South Korean Ferry Sinks







Divers Search Sunken Ferry The vessel was carrying 477 passengers and crew, including 325 high school students.
By CHOE SANG-HUN

SEOUL, South Korea — Nearly 300 people, most of them students, remained unaccounted for Wednesday as coast guard and navy divers continued to search a ferry that sank hours earlier off the southwestern tip of South Korea.

By mid-evening, four people were confirmed dead, including a high school student and a member of the ferry’s crew. But fears that the sinking could become one of the worst peacetime disasters in the country increased as rescued passengers told news outlets that they believed many people had been trapped below deck Wednesday morning.

Lee Gyeong-og, vice minister of security and public administration, said that 160 navy and coast guard divers were working at the scene, but that their operations were hampered by rapid currents and poor underwater visibility.

Among the passengers were 325 students from Danwon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul. So far, 78 of them are known to have been rescued. The students were on an overnight voyage to Jeju, a popular resort island, where they had been scheduled to arrive Wednesday morning for a four-day field trip and sightseeing.

The Ministry of Security and Public Administration reported that a total of 164 passengers and crew members were known to have been rescued; given the known deaths, that left 291 of the 459 people on the ferry unaccounted for.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. The South Korean news media cited unidentified passengers as saying that the ship had begun leaning severely after a loud impact. The ship later capsized and sank, with only its tip protruding from the water.

Mr. Lee of the security ministry declined to comment on the likelihood of finding more survivors. But a sharp increase in the death toll was feared as ships, helicopters and divers expanded their search, with no immediate results. Divers were trying to make their way into chambers of the ship where passengers were reported to have been trapped.

The ship’s departure from Incheon on Tuesday evening was delayed by two hours because of heavy fog off the west coast of South Korea, officials said. The ship was also carrying 150 cars and trucks, below the capacity of 180.

Excrept from New York Times





My note: it is with deepest sorrow that I am posting this news. Words cannot express the shock at this sad and painful news. I am just stunned and pray for the safety of the passengers and my heart goes to the families. May God keep keep them safe Amen
Please pray for them

Thank u sis @Maris for the post... It's in our news here. I feel for the passengers/crew and can only hope that the rest of missing people will be found alive, we will have them in our prayers for sure.

On Chosun Ilbo news....
Ferry with 470 Passengers Sinks off Southwest Coast
A 6,825-ton passenger ship sent distress call in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province on Wednesday morning.

The ferry left Incheon at around 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday and was heading to the southern resort island of Jeju, carrying over 470 passengers including 325 youngsters on a school trip.

Around two hours after the ship suddenly started to sink at around 8:55 a.m. on Wednesday, 190 passengers had been rescued.

As of 11:00 a.m., the ship was about to go under completely, with most of the passengers believed rescued. The ship has a capacity of some 900 passengers and had enough life jackets.
(photo below was when the ship was on its side before, it turned over)

The Coast Guard has dispatched over 20 patrol boats and aircraft to the scene. The Navy joined the rescue operations by sending a guided-missile patrol killer, six speed boats and a Lynx helicopter.

Why the ship sank is unclear.

Praying for all the passengers on South Korea's sunken ferry. God help them.
#PrayForSouthKorea

What Caused the Ferry Disaster?

Speculation has been running high since Wednesday what caused a ferry carrying 475 passengers to sink off the southwest coast, leaving nearly 290 people including many youngsters missing.

The Sewol was scheduled to leave Incheon at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday but did not make it out until about 9 p.m. due to thick fog.

Rescue forces said it is possible the captain shifted course to make up for lost time and ended up hitting a rock.

A helicopter approaches a half-sunken ferry to rescue passengers in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province on Wednesday. /Courtesy of South Jeolla Provincial Government A helicopter approaches a half-sunken ferry to rescue passengers in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province on Wednesday. /Courtesy of South Jeolla Provincial Government

A spokesman for ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine told reporters the Sewol did not stray "too far" off its safe course, but maritime experts said the ferry could have hit rocks by shifting its course even slightly in thick fog.

Other experts agreed. Rescued passengers said they heard a loud bang at the front of the ferry, strongly supporting the collision theory.

Chung Yong-hyun at the Korea Diving Industry Institute said, "A large hole caused by a submerged rock is the most probable reason why enough water poured into the ferry to cause it to capsize."

But Hwang Dae-shik at the Maritime Rescue and Salvage Association said, "Based on accounts from local fishermen and rescue workers, the waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province," where the ferry sank, "do not have a lot of submerged rocks. We need to take a close look at other possible causes."

@ chosun.com / Apr. 17, 2014 10:25 KST

Please, let us ALL include the still missing passengers and their families in our prayers... also those who are searching for them to guide them to where the missing passengers are. Unfortunately, because of the hours that passed... and hypothermia... but we are still hoping for miracles. Thank you.

In memory of all the priceless lives lost in the South Korea ferry sinking, Malaysian flight crash and the Indonesian tragedies. May God grant them a place in heaven and their families courage to bear this loss

To those who are interested in the circumstances on how this tragedy started.... Please skip if you prefer.

Ferry Captain's Selfishness Raises Larger Questions

It is becoming increasingly clear that the appalling behavior of the captain and crew of a ferry that sank off the southwest coast on Wednesday was a major factor in bringing the death toll into the hundreds.

Rescued passengers said they heard several announcements over the ferry's public address system to wait in their cabins since it was too dangerous to come outside. As a result, hundreds lost their chance to escape before the Sewol sank.

It was not until 10 a.m., more than an hour after the ferry capsized, that passengers were told to escape. But the ferry's crew did not tell the passengers how.

By then the captain and some of the crew had long abandoned ship and been rescued. They were among the first 47 people to be rescued and set foot on dry land even before the ferry had even gone fully under. The captain was later spotted drying his money on the floor of a hospital where he was being treated.

The Sewol was equipped with 46 lifeboats that could each hold between 10 to 15 people. The lifeboats should inflate automatically once their pins are released. But only one of them functioned.


The ferry tipped over some 50 degrees around half an hour after it began to sink. Passengers tried to escape, but probably found it difficult in the pitch darkness of a vessel without power to find a way out and, even if they did so, to open the heavy doors and windows since the ferry had turned over on its side. They were in desperate need of help from the crew, who knew the layout of the ferry. But many of the crew were only concerned with their own safety.

When the Titanic crashed into an iceberg and sank in April of 1912, only about one-third of the 2,224 passengers and crew were rescued. The captain jumped into the ocean just before the ship sank and helped survivors reach lifeboats. He then returned to the Titanic as it sank. The ship's first officer freed the lifeboats from the ship to save the passengers and gave his own life jacket to another passenger before perishing with the ship. The engineers ran the engines to provide electricity until the final moment to help passengers escape and ended up going under.

The behavior of the ferry's captain and many of the crew, who were responsible for the lives of hundreds of passengers, raises the question whether it was unique to this tragedy. In emergencies like a sinking ship, passengers panic and lose their ability to make decisions. On planes, trains or other form of public transportation, those responsible need to be trained regularly and be well-versed in how to deal with emergencies.

But here in Korea, how many people in such positions actually know how to operate a fire extinguisher or administer resuscitation? These terrible tragedies keep happening because Korean society has focused only on fast progress, while treating safety regulations as a hindrance. The government, businesses and the whole of society need to reflect on these fatal shortcomings.

source: Chosun Ilbo

May I share from experience... when i was in a ship in the Mediterranean, the captain (similar to airplane ride) gave us a short advise about safety n precaution in case of emergency... He wisely said the best way is to go upward n not to stay put, even with great difficulty. When I read this article, it gave me a jolt, gasp, headache, heart-wrenching feeling... These young Koreans did not have a chance.... Can't control my sobbing. It's truly sad.

Let us continue to pray for the young victims of this tragedy.


This is shocking!
Ferry Captain Fled Sinking Ship

The captain and crew of a ferry that sank off the southwest coast took no emergency measures but simply instructed passengers over the ferry's public address system to remain where they were and abandoned ship.

Lee Joon-seok (69) and some of his crew were among the first to escape while hundreds of passengers became trapped in the capsized Sewol in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province. Prosecutors are considering an indictment.

Maritime police on Thursday said Lee put out a distress call to Jeju Island, where it was heading, at around 8:55 a.m. after the ferry began to capsize some three minutes earlier. At around 9 a.m., he realized the seriousness of the situation and ordered his crew to evacuate but apparently told the passengers to stay put.

According to survivors, Lee told his crew to tell the passengers to remain in their cabins, boarded a lifeboat and left the scene of the accident.

At around 9:50 a.m., Lee was rescued by maritime police along with his chief engineer. Even then passengers were being instructed by crew to wait inside the safe cabins since it was "dangerous" to go outside.

Lee set foot on dry land at 11 a.m. even before the ferry was completely submerged at 11: 20 a.m.

source: Chosun Ilbo

Thank so much for sharing Eve.
I's really heart breaking.
May God have a mercy and help all the victims and families.

Lets continue pray for them.




Prayer for South Korea, for the victims and survivors of the Sewol Ferry Tragdy.
May god bless the students and faculty of Danwon High School

Good Morning and Pleasant Evening
May GOD bless everyone

Just share the beautiful song
Let continue pray and don't lose hope.




Need to find a place
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe.

Let keep praying for the better world.



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