All posts tagged south korea ferry

As rescue workers continue their desperate search for any survivors on the Sewol, a South Korean ship filled with high school students that sunk two days ago, an arrest warrant has been issued for the ferry's captain, Lee Joon Suk (also rendered in English as "Lee Jun-seok"). In addition to the captain of the doomed ferry, South Korean prosecutors are also seeking to arrest the third mate of the ship and another crew member. Prosecutors allege that the third mate, and not the captain, was at the helm of the ship when the accident occurred. The three crew members are being charged with abandoning the ship and its passengers as the ferry was quickly flooded with water. The captain of the ferry has been on the hot seat essentially since the moment the ship started to sink, with early reports indicating that he would likely be charged with accidental manslaughter and negligence. Read more [...]

The news surrounding the Sewol, the South Korean ship filled with high school students that sank on Wednesday for reasons that still aren't clear, has only become worse. We reported yesterday that the death toll of the shipwreck was almost certain to rise, and unfortunately it has. Twenty eight people, including five students and two teachers, are now confirmed dead, and the prospect of finding any of the missing 270 passengers alive has become increasingly doubtful. One part of the Sewol's hull remained above water for two days after the shipwreck, meaning at least one section of the ship was not yet flooded, but now the vessel is entirely submerged in the icy waters off the coast of South Korea. Adding another dimension of horror to the tragic shipwreck, one of the survivors committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt from a tree in Jindo, where relatives of missing passengers are staying. He was the vice principal of Ansan Danwon High School, which over 300 passengers on the doomed ferry attended. Read more [...]

A South Korean ship carrying nearly 500 passengers, including over 300 students, sank off the southwest coast of South Korea, potentially after hitting a rock. The Sewol, a ferry for both cars and passengers, was sailing from Incheon to Jeju, a resort island, when passengers on board heard a loud bump. Shortly thereafter, the ship started to list, triggering a crisis on board the ship, which sent out distress signals at 9:00 AM local time. Little has been confirmed about the sinking of the South Korean ship, but at least two people have died and many more are currently unaccounted for. The most dire possibility is that many passengers were stuck inside the ship when it sank, all but ensuring that the death toll will rise substantially. Read more [...]