Passenger ship sinks off South Korean coast

News

Passenger ship sinks off South Korean coast

The ship was carrying 470 passengers, mostly students, when it started to sink on April 16, 2014.

South Korean navy personnel try to install buoys to mark the sunken passenger ship Sewol in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. Rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of ferry passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, as fresh questions emerged about whether quicker action by the captain of the doomed ship could have saved lives. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean navy officers try to search missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The doomed ferry's captain delayed evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, raising more questions about whether quick action could have saved scores of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, according to a transcript of the ship-to-shore exchange and interviews with a crewmember. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean navy personnel install a buoy to mark the sunken passenger ship Sewol in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. Rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of ferry passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, as fresh questions emerged about whether quicker action by the captain of the doomed ship could have saved lives. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

Cranes wait near the buoys installed to mark the sunken 6,852-ton ferry Sewol in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. Rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of ferry passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, as fresh questions emerged about whether quicker action by the captain of the doomed ship could have saved lives. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean navy officers search for missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry sinking in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. Fresh questions arose about whether quicker action by the captain of the doomed ferry could have saved lives, even as rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean Coast Guard officers search for missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. Fresh questions arose about whether quicker action by the captain of the doomed ferry could have saved lives, even as rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean navy officers try to search missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The doomed ferry's captain delayed evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, raising more questions about whether quick action could have saved scores of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, according to a transcript of the ship-to-shore exchange and interviews with a crewmember. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean Coast Guard officers try to search missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The doomed ferry's captain delayed evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, raising more questions about whether quick action could have saved scores of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, according to a transcript of the ship-to-shore exchange and interviews with a crewmember. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean Coast Guard officers try to search missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The captain of the doomed ferry delayed evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, raising more questions about whether quick action could have saved scores of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, according to a transcript of the ship-to-shore exchange and interviews with a crewmember. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

A giant offshore crane arrives near the Sewol ferry sunken in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The captain of the doomed ferry delayed evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, raising more questions about whether quick action could have saved scores of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, according to a transcript of the ship-to-shore exchange and interviews with a crewmember. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

South Korean Coast Guard officers try to search missing passengers aboard the Sewol ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The captain of the doomed ferry delayed evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, raising more questions about whether quick action could have saved scores of passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, according to a transcript of the ship-to-shore exchange and interviews with a crewmember. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

A Buddhist monk Moo Sun performs during a Buddhist ceremony to pray for speedy rescue and their safety at a port in Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. The ferry flipped onto its side and filled with water off the southern coast of South Korea on Wednesday, with about 270 people still missing. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean rescue team members prepare to search for passengers of a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. Fears rose Thursday for the fate of more than 280 passengers still missing more than 24 hours after their ferry flipped onto its side. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

South Korean rescue team members search for passengers aboard a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

Family members of children are still missing in the sunken ferry the Sewol gather at a gymnasium in Jindo, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Blue search light cast by South Korean Coast Guard helicopter shows a sunken ferry in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. Fears rose Thursday for the fate of more than 280 passengers still missing. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

Relatives of passengers aboard a sunken ferry aboard on coast guard boat to go to rescue area at a port in Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean rescue team members try to rescue passengers of a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

South Korean rescue team members try to rescue passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. Fears rose Thursday for the fate of more than 280 passengers still missing more than 24 hours after their ferry flipped onto its side off the southern coast of South Korea. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

A South Korean Coast Guard officers search for missing passengers aboard a sunken ferry in the waters off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea on Thursday, April 17, 2014. An immediate evacuation order was not issued for the ferry, likely with scores of people trapped inside, because officers on the bridge were trying to stabilize the vessel after it started to list amid confusion and chaos, a crew member said Thursday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Lee Joon-seok, the captain of a sunken ferry in the water off the southern coast arrives to be investigated at Mokpo Police Station in Mokpo, South Korea, Thursday, April 17, 2014. An immediate evacuation order was not issued for the ferry that sank Wednesday, likely with scores of people trapped inside, because officers on the bridge were trying to stabilize the vessel after it started to list amid confusion and chaos, a crew member said Thursday. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

Danwon High School students hold papers with messages such as "come back," "miss you," "love you" and "don't lose your hope" for their friends who are missing. (AP Photo/Woohae Cho)

South Korean rescue helicopters fly over a South Korean passenger ship, trying to rescue passengers from the ship in water off the southern coast in South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. The South Korean passenger ship carrying more than 470 people, including many high school students, is sinking off the country's southern coast Wednesday after sending a distress call, officials said. There are no immediate reports of causalities. (AP Photo/Yonhap)

South Korean coast guard officers try to rescue passengers from a ferry sinking in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. The ferry carrying 459 people, mostly high school students on an overnight trip to a tourist island, sank off South Korea's southern coast on Wednesday, leaving nearly 300 people missing despite a frantic, hours-long rescue by dozens of ships and helicopters. At least four people were confirmed dead and 55 injured. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

In this handout image provided by the Republic of Korea Coast Guard, the rescue work by members of the Republic of Korea Coast Guard continues around the site of ferry sinking accident off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. Four people are confirmed dead and almost 300 are reported missing. The ferry identified as the Sewol is reported to have been carrying around 470 passengers, including students and teachers, as it travelled to Jeju island. (Photo by The Republic of Korea Coast Guard via Getty Images)

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South Korean navy personnel try to install buoys to mark the sunken passenger ship Sewol in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Friday, April 18, 2014. Rescuers scrambled to find hundreds of ferry passengers still missing Friday and feared dead, as fresh questions emerged about whether quicker action by the captain of the doomed ship could have saved lives. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT

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