South Korea: 295 Missing After Ferry Sinks

A huge rescue operation is continuing into the night after a ferry carrying hundreds of children and their teachers sinks.

Almost 300 people are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of South Korea.

Four people have been confirmed dead so far - including a male student, a female crew member and another unidentified man.

The South Korean government says about 180 people have been rescued so far but 295 remain unaccounted for.

The ferry, with 476 people and 150 vehicles on board, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call at 9am local time (1am UK time) on Wednesday morning as it began listing to one side.

Within two hours it had completely capsized, with only the front part of its hull visible above the water.

A cause has yet to be established, although one witness told television channel YTN there had been a "loud impact and noise" before it began sinking.

Captain John Noble, a marine salvage expert, told Sky News the most likely explanation was the ferry hit a rock.

He added that passengers would have struggled to get off the ferry quite soon after it began listing.

"Once a ship gets beyond 20 degrees it is impossible for passengers to stand up without holding onto something," he said.

"Once a ship gets to its side you completely lose your orientation. Those poor people would really have relied on rescuers to get them out.

"It's truly remarkable so many rescue crews got there so quickly."

The 325 students and 15 teachers on board were from Danwon High School in Ansan, near Seoul. They were reportedly on their way to the Jeju island for a four-day trip.

More in the article

http://news.sky.com/story/1243357/south-korea-295-missing-after-ferry-sinks


Nearly all children   

yes this is terrible been on the news here this morning, many of the missing are children on a school excursion.   

veya_victaous wrote:yes this is terrible been on the news here this morning, many of the missing are children on a school excursion.   

Been on the news here tonight and film of the rescue. They must have been terrified.

Oh no.
Poor bubbas.

Oh I hate news like this.

At lunchtime on the radio one of the kids that was rescued was saying that an announcement came of the tannoy to say not to worry and stay where they were, and most of them were below deck. So they got swamped before they could get above.   

   

Doesn't this belong in the Asia section?

"The hallway is crowded with so many people," one girl wrote to her father as those on board contacted relatives from the ship.

Teenagers on the stricken South Korean ferry sent heartbreaking messages to their families as it capsized and sank.

Mobile phone footage and messages from passengers suggest they were advised to stay where they were as they vessel listed severely to one side.

But the advice may have effectively sealed the fates of many of those on board, making escape impossible as the ferry sank into the icy depths.

One 18-year-old student messaged his mother on the KakaoTalk messaging app at 9.27am (1.27am UK time) - shortly after the ferry sent its first distress call.

He wrote: "Mum, I'm sending this because I might not be able to say it later. I love you."

Seven minutes later his mother - unaware of the trouble the vessel was in - replied: "Why? ... I thought you don't check your KakaoTalk messages.

"Me too son... I love you."

There are reports that the young man involved may be one of the lucky 179 survivors rescued before the ship capsized and went under the water.

Another student sent a series of messages to friends in a theatre club just after 9am.

He wrote: "Hey really seriously.

"Love you all for real.

"Looks like we really are gonna die.

"No really the ship's tilting.

"You guys really.

"If I've wronged any of you. Forgive me."

A female passenger, also 18, messaged her father at around 10am as the ship started to sink.

She wrote: "Dad don't worry too much. I am wearing a life vest and am with other girls."

A few minutes later, as the situation deteriorated, she added: "I can't. It's too tilted. Can't move ... it's more dangerous if I move."

Her distraught father wrote back, urging her to try to get out, but it was already too late.

"Dad, I can't. The ship is too tilted. The hallway is crowded with so many people," she responded in a final message.

At 9.23am a 16-year-old called Kim Woong-Ki texted his older brother saying: "Brother, I'm riding a ship to Jeju Island and the ship hit something and it can't move."

After he was asked how bad the damage was, he said: "I don't know about that, since I'm inside. I don't have good coverage and just now the Coast Guards arrived."

The teenager's brother replied: "The rescue will arrive soon. Don't panic. Be calm and strong. You just need to move quickly as instructed. When you have coverage contact me again."

An icon on the brother's phone shows that his last message was not read and Kim was listed among almost 290 unaccounted for.

Some parents managed a last, traumatic phone call with their children as they tried to escape.

"He told me the ship was tilted over and he couldn't see anything," one mother recalled of a panicked conversation with her student son.

"He said 'I haven't put on the life jacket yet', and then the phone went dead," the mother told the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper.

http://news.sky.com/story/1244267/ferry-disaster-desperate-texts-during-sinking

They will never be able to get rid of those phones, awful, just awful.   

its gods fault for not making the ferry sink proof

smelly_bandit wrote:its gods fault for not making the ferry sink proof

Smelly, perhaps too soon for snide comments eh?

The vice principal of the school whose pupils were on the ferry and was rescued himself hanged himself today.

Arrest warrant issued for captain of ferry. He was not at helm when it started to sink but third mate was. 28 confirmed dead. 270 still missing.

Relatives distraught after conflicting bulletins from officials.

This seems to be developing a pattern here - conflicting news from officials. Is it a cultural thing whereby they don't want to lose face or is it sheer ineptness or trying to get out information, any information before relatives here it in the media or social networks and they will be dammed either way or a combination of all of the above?

All items on CNN except my own comments last paragraph but I cant post links.

What sheer and utter hell for the families

This is just like the Costa Concordia, which capsized on January 13, 2012.



Almost makes you think that ships and aircraft shouldn't be allowed in the hands of third-worlders.

Original Quill wrote:This is just like the Costa Concordia, which capsized on January 13, 2012.  



Almost makes you think that ships and aircraft shouldn't be allowed in the hands of third-worlders.

Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Stephenmarra wrote:

Original Quill wrote:This is just like the Costa Concordia, which capsized on January 13, 2012.  



Almost makes you think that ships and aircraft shouldn't be allowed in the hands of third-worlders.

Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Nearly 200 died on that didn't they Stephen?

Costa Concordia was an Italian ship. Italy is a third world country now is it? There's ignorance for you.

Sassy wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:
Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Nearly 200 died on that didn't they Stephen?

Costa Concordia was an Italian ship.   Italy is a third world country now is it?   There's ignorance for you.

Saying nowt,      I'll just be accused of being a part of a posse.  

Stephenmarra wrote:

Sassy wrote:

Nearly 200 died on that didn't they Stephen?

Costa Concordia was an Italian ship.   Italy is a third world country now is it?   There's ignorance for you.

Saying nowt,      I'll just be accused of being a part of a posse.  

    

    

Stephenmarra wrote:

Original Quill wrote:This is just like the Costa Concordia, which capsized on January 13, 2012.  



Almost makes you think that ships and aircraft shouldn't be allowed in the hands of third-worlders.

Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Fair point. Maybe I should have limited myself to the US. Y'all had one go down, too, didn't you?

Part of my point was in the way the officers and crew behaved in the aftermath. I understand the Master of the So. Korean ferry now has an arrest warrant out for him.

Sassy wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:
Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Nearly 200 died on that didn't they Stephen?

Costa Concordia was an Italian ship.   Italy is a third world country now is it?   There's ignorance for you.

Indeed, that's part of my message.

Stephenmarra wrote:

Sassy wrote:

Nearly 200 died on that didn't they Stephen?

Costa Concordia was an Italian ship.   Italy is a third world country now is it?   There's ignorance for you.

Saying nowt,      I'll just be accused of being a part of a posse.  

You think cyber-gangs are a joke? They are an infection.

But you??? Oh, never you! Lol.   

Original Quill wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:
Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Fair point.  Maybe I should have limited myself to the US.  Y'all had one go down, too, didn't you?

Part of my point was in the way the officers and crew behaved in the aftermath.  I understand the Master of the So. Korean ferry now has an arrest warrant out for him.

So the control of ships and Aircraft should  be limited to only  US command ?  

Original Quill wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:

Saying nowt,      I'll just be accused of being a part of a posse.  

You think cyber-gangs are a joke?  They are an infection.  

But you???  Oh, never you!  Lol.    

Oh ! the irony. Sorry but  ::smthg::

Stephenmarra wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Fair point.  Maybe I should have limited myself to the US.  Y'all had one go down, too, didn't you?

Part of my point was in the way the officers and crew behaved in the aftermath.  I understand the Master of the So. Korean ferry now has an arrest warrant out for him.

So the control of ships and Aircraft should  be limited to only  US command ?  

Haha...that's not a bad idea, now that you mentioned it.

Stephenmarra wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:
Of course this wouldn't happen in the West.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Herald_of_Free_Enterprise

Fair point.  Maybe I should have limited myself to the US.  Y'all had one go down, too, didn't you?

Part of my point was in the way the officers and crew behaved in the aftermath.  I understand the Master of the So. Korean ferry now has an arrest warrant out for him.

So the control of ships and Aircraft should  be limited to only  US command ?  

Well maybe not Stephen. The MV George Prince ferry disaster of 1976 on the Mississippi left 76 poor souls dead due to the fault of the George Price and the pilot on board the SS Frosta.

http://monumentalbook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-forgotten-tragedy-of-october-20.html

Original Quill wrote:

Stephenmarra wrote:

So the control of ships and Aircraft should  be limited to only  US command ?  

Haha...that's not a bad idea, now that you mentioned it.

 ::dedhrs::