On April 15, 2014 a South Korean ferry carrying mostly students sank. The ferry was traveling from north-west South Korea to a southern resort island. Coast guard, military, and commercial vessels were involved with the recue efforts as the ship began to sink into the ocean. The cause of the disaster is unclear, but people on board said that they heard “a big thumping sound” and the boat stopped immediately after. The ferry was carrying 459 people. Many passengers aboard could not reach lifeboats to escape the ship because it tipped to the side so quickly that most were unable to move. As of April 14th, at least 64 people have been killed and 238 are still missing. 174 people were rescued immediately after the ship began to sink, but since then no survivors have been found. They plan to send divers on Monday to the cafeteria on the ship as that is where authorities believe that many students were when the ship started to sink.
The captain of the boat is facing scrutiny for not ordering an evacuation. He is quoted saying “it is a fairly fast current area, and the water temperature was cold”. He is being charged with causing the ship to sink by failing to slow down while in a narrow area and making a turn excessively. In addition, he is being charged with failing to properly guide the passengers during the time of an emergency.
This is a devastating accident that has already cost so many young lives. We can only hope that they will find more survivors in the upcoming days.
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Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/20/world/asia/south-korea-ship-sinking/