(Yonhap)

A ferry carrying 459 passengers and crew sank off the coast of Jindo Island in South Jeolla Province on Wednesday, leaving at least two people dead and hundreds unaccounted for.



The ferry, the 6,325-ton Sewol, began to sink at about 8:55 a.m. off the coast of Jindo on its way to Jejudo Island from Incheon.



Of the 459 people on board, a woman identified as 22-year-old Park Ji-young, a staff worker for the ferry company, and Jung Cha-woong, a student at Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, were confirmed dead.



As of 3:50 p.m., about 290 people remain unaccounted for.



The passengers included 324 students and 14 staff from Danwon High School who were traveling to Jejudo Island on a school trip.



The government immediately launched a central response center, with President Park Geun-hye ordering authorities to concentrate on rescue efforts.



“Efforts should be made to prevent even one casualty, and a thorough search (of the ship) must be carried out to ensure nobody is left behind,” Park was quoted as saying by Lee Gyeong-og, Second Vice Minister of Security and Public Administration.



The Minister of Security and Public Administration and the chief of the National Emergency Management Agency coordinated the rescue efforts from the scene.





(yonhap)

The Navy sent out vessels along with two helicopters. Navy and Coast Guard commandos were set to begin searching inside the vessel from 5 p.m. Along with the Navy and Coast Guard, the Air Force and the Army dispatched aircraft to the scene. The divers were to begin the search starting in shallower areas and then put the underwater search in full swing early Thursday.



In addition, U.S. Navy ship Bonhomme Richard joined the rescue efforts. The U.S. 7th Fleet also said that it will provide support as necessary.



Although the Security Ministry initially claimed that 368 people had been rescued as of 1:10 p.m., the figure was later revealed to have been a miscalculation.



“As the rescue operation is underway, the exact numbers cannot be compiled yet. The figure of 368 (rescued people) was a mistake,” Lee Gyeong-og said, in a special briefing at about 3:30 p.m.



He added that the number is likely larger than the figure of 166 the ministry had announced earlier in the day.



Although rescue workers arrived at the scene at 9:30 a.m., about half an hour after the emergency call from the Sewol, the search for survivors moved along slowly, hampered by strong currents.



The passengers began jumping into the sea following an onboard announcement that the ship was about to sink completely as rescue efforts were underway.





(Yonhap)