As Rescue Efforts Continue, Korean Ferry Sinks Below Surface
As darkness fell Friday in the Yellow Sea off South Korea's southern coast, there was still no good news to report about efforts to determine if any of the nearly 270 people missing since a passenger ferry capsized Wednesday might still be alive inside the sunken ship.
The overturned ship's keel, which had been floating just above the surface of the water,disappeared below the waves at day's end. Officials were trying to determine how best to deploy cranes, which are now at the scene, in an effort to raise the ferry. Families and rescuers are holding out hope that some of the missing might have found shelter in air pockets aboard the ferry.
Most of the 475 people who were on board, and most of those who are still missing, are students from one high school in the city of Ansan, near Seoul. They had been on a trip to the resort island of Jeju. Survivors report hearing a loud bang Wednesday morning just before the ship started to list. At first, survivors say, they were told to stay in place. It was 30 minutes or so, they report, before the order was given to abandon ship. By then, many of those on board reportedly couldn't get to lifeboats because the ship had tilted too far. Within two hours, the ferry had capsized.
On Friday, Bloomberg News and other outlets report, the school's vice principal was found hanged in Jindo, the closest port city to the disaster. He had been among those who were able to get off the ferry before it sank. News outlets say no suicide note was found, but that the man was hung with his own belt.
From Jindo, NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports that coast guard officials on Friday were denying reports that divers had finally been able to get inside the ferry, which is known as the Sewol.South Korea's Yonhap News, though, was reporting that divers had been able to get inside — but had not yet found any of the missing passengers.
Meanwhile, other developments related to the disaster include:
— Death Toll. As of Friday evening in South Korea, 28 bodies had been recovered. Officials have said 179 people were rescued from the Sewol. That means 268 remain missing.
— Arrest Warrant. The Associated Press reported that local prosecutors asked a court for an arrest warrant so they could take the ship's captain into custody. Yonhap News was reporting that at the time of the accident, the ferry's third mate may have been at the helm: "Captain gave wheel to third mate before ferry sank: investigators."
— Lifting The Ship. "South Korean crews brought three large cranes to the site of the sunken ferryboat on Friday in a bid to lift the overturned vessel," The Wall Street Journal writes. "South Korea's maritime ministry said that the cranes were being positioned for the lifting operation, with a fourth crane en route to the site and due to arrive in the afternoon. The salvage operation could take many days, or even longer, based on previous similar retrieval efforts. Kim Soo-hyun, a regional coast guard commander, promised parents not to put any possible survivors at risk by rushing to use the cranes recklessly."
According to Reuters, the water at the site is "relatively shallow at under 165 feet."
South Korean ferry: captain was not at the helm, investigators say
Anger of missing passengers' relatives mounts as it emerges third officer was steering when the accident occurred
The captain of the South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday was not at the helm of the vessel when it capsized, investigators said on Friday as hopes dimmed for almost 300 passengers still trapped inside.
The official death toll from the disaster, which occurred off the south-west coast of South Korea, rose to 28 after several bodies were retrieved from the sea near the wreck of the Sewol.
As hundreds of divers, rescue boats and aircraft continued the frantic search for survivors in difficult conditions about 25 kilometres off the island of Jindo, accident investigators focused on the actions of the captain, Lee Joon-seok, and his crew.
Officials said a junior officer was steering the ship when the accident occurred, adding that Lee, who has been criticised for apparently jumping into a rescue boat while hundreds of his passengers remained aboard, may have been in another part of the vessel.
"He [the captain] may have been off the bridge,“ Park Jae-eok, an investigating official, told reporters in Mokpo, a city near the port from where the rescue operation is being directed. “And the person at the helm at the time was the third officer.”
Lee, who is being questioned by police about his actions, has come under fire for apparently abandoning the ship 30 to 40 minutes after it began listing.
Survivors and the parents of missing children have voiced anger that passengers were initially told to stay in their seats and cabins rather than make their way to the emergency exits.
It emerged on Friday that the crew had not acted immediately on an order by a local transportation office to tell passengers to put on life jackets and prepare to evacuate.
The order, from officials on Jeju, came five minutes after the accident, but the crew did not tell people to leave the ferry for at least another 25 minutes. Some survivors said they did not hear any instructions to abandon the ship.
Twenty of the ship’s 30 crew survived, reports said.
The official death toll from the disaster, which occurred off the south-west coast of South Korea, rose to 28 after several bodies were retrieved from the sea near the wreck of the Sewol.
As hundreds of divers, rescue boats and aircraft continued the frantic search for survivors in difficult conditions about 25 kilometres off the island of Jindo, accident investigators focused on the actions of the captain, Lee Joon-seok, and his crew.
Officials said a junior officer was steering the ship when the accident occurred, adding that Lee, who has been criticised for apparently jumping into a rescue boat while hundreds of his passengers remained aboard, may have been in another part of the vessel.
"He [the captain] may have been off the bridge,“ Park Jae-eok, an investigating official, told reporters in Mokpo, a city near the port from where the rescue operation is being directed. “And the person at the helm at the time was the third officer.”
Lee, who is being questioned by police about his actions, has come under fire for apparently abandoning the ship 30 to 40 minutes after it began listing.
Survivors and the parents of missing children have voiced anger that passengers were initially told to stay in their seats and cabins rather than make their way to the emergency exits.
It emerged on Friday that the crew had not acted immediately on an order by a local transportation office to tell passengers to put on life jackets and prepare to evacuate.
The order, from officials on Jeju, came five minutes after the accident, but the crew did not tell people to leave the ferry for at least another 25 minutes. Some survivors said they did not hear any instructions to abandon the ship.
Twenty of the ship’s 30 crew survived, reports said.
The ferry was carrying 475 passengers and crew on a trip from the western port of Incheon to the southern resort island of Jeju. The passengers included 325 teenagers and 15 teachers from a school near Seoul, many of whom are among the 268 still unaccounted for.
The 6,835-tonne ferry sank about two hours after issuing a distress signal shortly before 9am on Wednesday. It is still unclear what caused the Sewol to roll onto its side and sink, but there is speculation that it either hit a submerged rock, or began to list after a sharp turn caused poorly secured cargo to shift suddenly to one side of the ship.
The 6,835-tonne ferry sank about two hours after issuing a distress signal shortly before 9am on Wednesday. It is still unclear what caused the Sewol to roll onto its side and sink, but there is speculation that it either hit a submerged rock, or began to list after a sharp turn caused poorly secured cargo to shift suddenly to one side of the ship.
Coastguard officials said investigators were looking into possible negligence by the crew and potential problems with the way the cargo was stowed, although the ship reportedly passed all its safety and insurance checks.
Lee, 69, has not commented publicly on the situation on the bridge at the time of the accident, or why he abandoned the ship while hundreds of passengers were still on board.
On Thursday he issued a brief apology to the relatives of the dead and missing. "I am really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said. "I don't know what to say."
But parents who spent another sleepless night at a hospital in Mokpo were scathing about Lee’s actions. “How could he tell those young kids to stay there and jump from the sinking ship himself?" said Ham Young-ho, whose grandchild, 17-year-old Lee Da-woon, is among those confirmed dead.
Two vessels equipped with cranes were expected to arrive at the accident site on Friday to help with the rescue effort and salvage the ferry.
Divers began pumping air into the ship on Friday, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the air was for possible survivors or to assist
the salvage operation.
Attempts to search inside the ship have been hampered by strong currents and poor underwater visibility. More than 500 divers, 169 vessels and 29 aircraft are now involved in the rescue operation, according to the South Korean coast guard.
Lee, 69, has not commented publicly on the situation on the bridge at the time of the accident, or why he abandoned the ship while hundreds of passengers were still on board.
On Thursday he issued a brief apology to the relatives of the dead and missing. "I am really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said. "I don't know what to say."
But parents who spent another sleepless night at a hospital in Mokpo were scathing about Lee’s actions. “How could he tell those young kids to stay there and jump from the sinking ship himself?" said Ham Young-ho, whose grandchild, 17-year-old Lee Da-woon, is among those confirmed dead.
Two vessels equipped with cranes were expected to arrive at the accident site on Friday to help with the rescue effort and salvage the ferry.
Divers began pumping air into the ship on Friday, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the air was for possible survivors or to assist
the salvage operation.
Attempts to search inside the ship have been hampered by strong currents and poor underwater visibility. More than 500 divers, 169 vessels and 29 aircraft are now involved in the rescue operation, according to the South Korean coast guard.
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