 "Rescue workers move a passenger rescued from a stranded South Korean ferry carrying about 260 people near a rocky island off Shinan, in Mokpo, South Korea, on Wednesday. Reuters")
All 267 people aboard a South Korean passenger ferry that ran aground off the southwest coast on Wednesday were safely rescued, an incident that rekindled memories of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster that claimed more than 300 lives.
According to a Reuters report, the Coast Guard said all passengers and crew were evacuated from the vessel, with 27 people sustaining minor injuries. Most of those rescued will be transported to the port city of Mokpo, while 21 crew members are expected to remain on board for the time being.
Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Yong-jin said a navigational error by the captain or an officer may have caused the grounding, but added that a full investigation would be launched.
President Lee Jae Myung, currently on a visit to the Middle East, ordered real-time public updates on the rescue operation, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Rescue boats deployed
The 26,000-ton ferry Queen Jenuvia 2 was travelling from Jeju Island to Mokpo. The boat’s Mokpo-based operator, Seaworld Ferry, lists the vessel as having a capacity of 1,010 passengers, as well as lower decks for large vehicles and passenger cars.
A Coast Guard official said the ferry had struck a rocky island near Jindo.
A loud bang had startled passengers during the night, causing panic and confusion, said passenger Kim Namhyun.
“I thought I might die. The sound was too loud,” Reuters quoted Kim, 51, a diving instructor on Jeju Island, as saying.
“But having seen the Sewol ferry, I knew that in situations like this, you have to stay calm, move outside, wear a life jacket, and wait,” said Kim, referring to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014.
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View AllFootage showed passengers wearing life vests awaiting transfer to rescue boats.
The vessel’s bow appeared stuck on the edge of a small island, but looked to be upright and the passengers seemed calm. Weather conditions were reported to be fair with light winds.
2014 ferry sinking one of country’s worst disasters
Memories are still fresh in South Korea of the sinking of the Sewol ferry carrying many children on a school trip to Jeju.
The Sewol was sailing from the west coast port of Incheon when it sank near the site of Wednesday’s incident, though further off the island of Jindo.
The ferry, later found to have been overloaded with cargo and illegally modified to carry more than it was designed for, went into a turn too fast and began listing.
It lay on its side as passengers awaited rescue before sinking as the country watched on live television.
Many victims were found in their cabins, where they had been told to wait while the captain and crew members were rescued by the first Coast Guard vessels to arrive at the scene.
With inputs from agencies