Nearly 300 missing after South Korea Ferry capsizes

Jindo, SOUTH KOREA - Four dead and hundreds missing after a ferry capsized off South Korea
on Wednesday, despite frantic rescue efforts
involving coastguard vessels, fishing boats and
helicopters, in what could be the country's biggest
maritime disaster in over 20 years.

The ferry was carrying 459 people, of whom 164
have been rescued, coastguard officials said.

It was not immediately clear why the Sewol ferry
listed heavily on to its side and capsized in
apparently calm conditions off South Korea's
southwest coast, but some survivors spoke of what
appeared to be an impact prior to the accident.


"It was fine. Then the ship went 'boom' and there
was a noise of cargo falling," said Cha Eun-ok, who
said she was on the deck of the ferry taking
photographs at the time.

"The on-board announcement told people to stay
put ... people who stayed are trapped," she said in
Jindo, the nearest town to the scene of the accident.

Survivors there huddled on the floor of a
gymnasium, wrapped in blankets and receiving
medical aid. One woman lay on a bed shaking
uncontrollably.

A man across the room wailed
loudly as he spoke on his mobile phone.

Shipping records shows that the ship was built in japan in 1994