At least 4 dead, 284 missing in ferry disaster

<h2> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Britannic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 36.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: red;"><span style="color: white;">At least 4 dead, 284 missing in ferry disaster</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Britannic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A ferry carrying 462 people, mostly high school students, sank off South Korea's coast Wednesday</span><span style="font-family: "Britannic Bold","sans-serif"; font-size: 28.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></span></div> </h2> <div class="article-byline" style="background-color: white; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); font-family: adelle-sans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 1px 5px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 641px;"> <span class="article-date" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">16/04/2014</span></b></span></div> <div class="article-byline" style="border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); font-family: adelle-sans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 1px 5px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 641px;"> <span class="article-date" style="background-color: red; border: 0px; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">EXCLUSIVE</span></b></span></div> <div class="hidden clearfix" data-floatpos="centre" id="article-share" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: adelle-sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 28px; line-height: 18px; margin: 6px 0px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: -999px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 641px;"> <div class="shared-services-w countson floating-share" id="shared-services-articlebody-w" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; 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margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="aol-knot-slideshow-title" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: adelle-sans, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 7px 10px; text-transform: capitalize; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> <div class="aol-knot-slide-info" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 20px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="aol-knot-slide-caption" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: normal !important;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this image taken from video from Mokpo Coast Guard, passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, are rescued by South Korean Coast guard in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Nearly 300 people were still missing Wednesday several hours after the ferry carrying 477, most of them high school students, sank in cold waters off South Korea's southern coast. (AP Photo/Yonhap) KOREA OUT</span></div> </div> </div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A 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.</span></span></span><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The high number of people unaccounted for - likely trapped in the ship or floating in the ocean - raised fears that the death toll could rise drastically, making it one of South Korea's biggest ferry disasters since 1993, when 292 people died.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One student, Lim Hyung-min, told broadcaster YTN after being rescued that he and other students jumped into the ocean wearing life jackets and then swam to a nearby rescue boat.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," Lim said, adding that some people were bleeding. Once he jumped, the ocean "was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Local television stations broadcast live pictures of the ship, Sewol, listing to its side and slowly sinking as passengers jumped out or were winched up by helicopters. At least 87 vessels and 18 aircraft swarmed around the stricken ship. Rescuers clambered over its sides, pulling out passengers wearing orange life jackets. But the ship overturned completely and continued to sink slowly. Within a few hours only its blue-and-white bow stuck out of the water. Very soon, that too disappeared.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some 160 coast guard and navy divers searched for survivors inside the ship's wreckage a few kilometers (miles) from Byeongpung Island, which is not far from the mainland. The area is about 470 kilometers (290 miles) from Seoul.<br /></span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those rescued - wet, stunned and many without shoes - were brought to nearby Jindo Island, where medical teams wrapped them in pink blankets and checked them for injuries before settling them down on the floor of a cavernous gymnasium hall.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ship had set sail from Incheon, a city in South Korea's northwest and the site of the country's main international airport, on Tuesday night for an overnight, 14-hour journey to the tourist island of Jeju.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Three hours from its destination, the ferry sent a distress call at about 9 a.m. Wednesday after it began listing to one side, according to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration. Officials didn't know what caused it to sink and said the focus was still on rescuing survivors.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lee Gyeong-og, a vice minister for South Korea's Public Administration and Security Ministry, said 30 crew members, 325 high school students, 15 school teachers and 89 non-student passengers were aboard the ship.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kang Byung-kyu, a government minister, said two of the dead were a female crew member and a male high school student. He said a third body was also believed to be that of a student. A coast guard officer confirmed a fourth fatality but had no immediate details about it.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kang said 164 people were rescued, of whom 55 were injured. Officials said 292 people were missing.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yonhap news agency said the 146-meter (480-foot) -long ship, which travels twice a week between Incheon and Jeju, was built in Japan in 1994 and could carry a maximum of 921 people, 180 vehicles and 152 shipping containers.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The water temperature in the area was about 12 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit), cold enough to cause signs of hypothermia after about 1½ hours of exposure, according to an emergency official who spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules. Officials said mud on the ocean floor made underwater search operations difficult. Lee, the vice minister, said the ocean is 37 meters (121 feet) deep in the area.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Passenger Kim Seong-mok told YTN that he was certain that many people were trapped inside the ferry as water quickly rushed in and the severe tilt of the vessel kept them from reaching the exits. Some people urged those who couldn't get out to break windows.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kim said that after having breakfast he felt the ferry tilt and then heard it crash into something. He said the ferry operator made an announcement asking that passengers wait and not move from their places. Kim said he didn't hear any announcement telling passengers to escape.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The students - half of them boys and half girls- are from Danwon High School in Ansan city, which is near Seoul, and were on their way to Jeju island for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi province, which governs the city. There are faster ways to get to Jeju, but some people take the ferry from Incheon because it is cheaper than flying. Many South Korean high schools organize trips for students in their first or second years, and Jeju is a popular destination. The students on the ferry were in their second year, which would make most of them 16 or 17.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the high school, students were sent home and parents gathered for news about the ferry.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Park Ji-hee, a first-year student, said she saw about a dozen parents crying at the school entrance and many cars and taxis gathered at the gate as she left in the morning.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She said some students in her classroom began to cry as they saw the news on their handsets. Teachers tried to soothe them, saying that the students on the ferry would be fine.</span></div> <div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.45em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Maritime Ministry said the two previous deadliest ferry disasters were in 1970 when 323 people drowned and in 1993 when 292 people died.</span></div> </div>

At least 4 dead, 284 missing in ferry disaster

At least 4 dead, 284 missing in ferry disaster A ferry carrying 462 people, mostly high school students, sank off South Korea's coas...

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