Nearly 300
people are missing and at least two are confirmed dead after a ferry carrying
459 people, many of them students, sank in cold waters off South Korea’s
southern coast Wednesday.
There were
fears of a big jump in the number of deaths, as dozens of boats, helicopters
and divers scrambled to rescue passengers who had been on the ferry travelling
to the southern island of Jeju. One rescued passenger said he believed that
many people had been trapped inside the ferry when it sank.
The confirmed
fatalities are a female crew member, 22, and a male student.
The ferry,
identified as the Sewol, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it
sent a distress call as it began leaning to one side. The passengers include
more than 300 students from Danwon High School in Ansan, near Seoul, who were
on a school trip.
Passenger Kim
Seong-mok, speaking from a nearby island after his rescue, told YTN that he was
“certain” that many people were trapped inside the ship as water quickly filled
up inside and the severe tilt of the ferry kept them from reaching the exits.
Some people yelled at those who couldn’t get out, urging them to break windows.
Kim said that
after having breakfast he felt the ferry tilt and then heard it crash into
something. He said the ferry operator made an announcement asking that
passengers wait and not move from their places. Kim said he didn’t hear any
announcement telling passengers to escape.
Coast Guard
crews tried to break into the ferry, searching for anyone left behind, but they
have been unable to do so since the vessel has sunk more than 100 feet below
the water’s surface.
Officials said
mud on the ocean floor made underwater search operations difficult.
The water
temperature in the area was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 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.
Photographs
show the partially submerged ferry tilting dramatically as helicopters flew
overhead and rescue vessels and a small boat covered with an orange tarp over
it floated nearby.
The students
were on their way to Jeju island for a four-day trip. The trip from Incheon to
Jeju is usually about 14 hours, so the ferry was about three hours from its
destination when it made the distress call.
At the high
school, students were sent home and parents gathered for news about the ferry.
Official
estimates of the missing, dead and even the number of passengers on the ship
varied wildly as the search went on. A government official had earlier said
that more than 100 people were unaccounted for, but officials later boosted the
number to 295 missing and then changed it to 293.