South Korean Ferry: Toll rises to 25
The captain was among the first to flee. Only a couple of the 44 life rafts aboard were deployed.
The hundreds of passengers were instructed over the intercom to stay inside and wait as the ship leaned to one side and began to sink, dragging scores of students down with it. I repeatedly told people to calm themselves and stay where they were for an hour, Kang Hae-seong, the communications officer on the South Korean ferry that sank Wednesday, said from his hospital bed. He added that he could not recall taking part in any evacuation drills for the ship, and that when a real emergency came, I didn’t have time to look at the manual for evacuation. It took 2 1/2 hours for the ferry, the Sewol, to capsize and become submerged in the blue-gray waters off the southwestern tip of South Korea. Yet in that time, only 179 of the 475 people believed to have been on board were rescued. By Thursday evening, the confirmed death toll was 25.
As rescuers battle bad weather and dwindling hopes to search for the 271 people still missing, most of them students, evidence is growing that human error contributed to one of South Korea’s worst disasters in recent decades. Kim Su-hyun, a provincial coast guard chief, told reporters Thursday that the ship’s captain, Lee Jun-seok, stood accused of violating his responsibilities by abandoning the ferry ahead of most of his passengers. Coast guard officials who questioned Lee on Thursday said they were reviewing possible criminal charges, while the police said they were investigating whether he had escaped aboard one of the few life rafts used. I don’t understand why the crew would be instructing passengers to stay inside the ship, Shirley said. I would think that if nothing else, they would be getting them outside with life jackets on so if it sank, they could at least get into the cold water with their jackets.
For the 325 students from Danwon High School who made up the bulk of the passengers, it was a trip they had been eagerly awaiting, a last chance for fun before a grueling year of studying for South Korea’s university entrance exam. Soon after the ferry left the port of Incheon on Tuesday night bound for the resort island of Jeju, they celebrated by launching fireworks from the deck. According to survivors, the students were having a morning break after breakfast Wednesday, roaming through the floors and snapping pictures on the deck, when the ship began tilting. When the situation became critical, survivors said, many students were still on the third floor, where the cafeteria and game rooms were. Above all, the people must have felt deeply that South Korea is a country that doesn’t value human lives, it said. Hundreds of passengers sank with the ship, but its captain and most of its crew came out alive.
Jeon Young-jun, 61, a crew member, said the chief engineer had told his team to desert the ship immediately, contrary to the intercom instructions for passengers. My colleagues and I were sure we would die if we didn’t get out immediately, because we knew that the ship tilting about 48 degrees means big danger,” he said. There was nothing else to think about.
The captain was among the first to flee. Only a couple of the 44 life rafts aboard were deployed.
The hundreds of passengers were instructed over the intercom to stay inside and wait as the ship leaned to one side and began to sink, dragging scores of students down with it. I repeatedly told people to calm themselves and stay where they were for an hour, Kang Hae-seong, the communications officer on the South Korean ferry that sank Wednesday, said from his hospital bed. He added that he could not recall taking part in any evacuation drills for the ship, and that when a real emergency came, I didn’t have time to look at the manual for evacuation. It took 2 1/2 hours for the ferry, the Sewol, to capsize and become submerged in the blue-gray waters off the southwestern tip of South Korea. Yet in that time, only 179 of the 475 people believed to have been on board were rescued. By Thursday evening, the confirmed death toll was 25.
For the 325 students from Danwon High School who made up the bulk of the passengers, it was a trip they had been eagerly awaiting, a last chance for fun before a grueling year of studying for South Korea’s university entrance exam. Soon after the ferry left the port of Incheon on Tuesday night bound for the resort island of Jeju, they celebrated by launching fireworks from the deck. According to survivors, the students were having a morning break after breakfast Wednesday, roaming through the floors and snapping pictures on the deck, when the ship began tilting. When the situation became critical, survivors said, many students were still on the third floor, where the cafeteria and game rooms were. Above all, the people must have felt deeply that South Korea is a country that doesn’t value human lives, it said. Hundreds of passengers sank with the ship, but its captain and most of its crew came out alive.
Jeon Young-jun, 61, a crew member, said the chief engineer had told his team to desert the ship immediately, contrary to the intercom instructions for passengers. My colleagues and I were sure we would die if we didn’t get out immediately, because we knew that the ship tilting about 48 degrees means big danger,” he said. There was nothing else to think about.