A frantic search continued early today for hundreds of people missing in the sinking of a South Korean ferry.
Toll unknown
The ferry connecting the Seoul-area port of Incheon to the resort island of Jeju was carrying more than 450 passengers and crew when it sank off the nation’s southwest coast Wednesday morning. Subtracting the rescued and a handful of confirmed dead, nearly 300 remained unaccounted for.
Reason sought
The reason for the sinking was unknown. Survivors said the nearly 500-foot-long ship tilted and they heard a loud noise before it started going down. Several said the water rose so quickly that many people below deck were unable to escape. “I just wanted to live,” said a boy who braved chilly waters to swim to safety.
Parents’ fears
Many of the passengers were students on a high school trip, and sobbing parents gathered to await word of survivors. Dozens of divers searched the wreck in the 100-foot depths, fighting poor visibility and strong currents, as fears mounted that the disaster wold prove to be among the worst in South Korea’s history.
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