Ferry sinking in South Korea

[morgin]

Sorry to pile more ####ty news into off-topic, but these pictures kind of blow my mind:

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2...issing/100718/

Yesterday, off the coast of South Korea, a large passenger ferry named the Sewol sank in calm seas, while carrying more than 450 passengers, mostly high school students on an overnight trip to a tourist island. Officials currently confirm only 164 have been rescued, another four listed as killed, leaving approximately 300 passengers still missing. By nightfall, the Sewol had turned upside down, sinking nearly completely below the surface -- only a small part of its bow still visible. Reuters quoted one survivor as saying "The on-board announcement told people to stay put... people who stayed are trapped."

[Sr. Mints]

I was kind of following this on Twitter last night.

300 people missing: it's unreal! And I suppose this is a bit pessimistic, but how long can people survive in the frigid ocean or trapped onboard a ship that's underwater? If they aren't found very soon . . . it may even be too late.

[jeffman]

Wth, they handled the evacuation of the ship like some kind of 3rd world country

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by jeffman

Wth, they handled the evacuation of the ship like some kind of 3rd world country

This is what I don't get. And also what scares the hell out of me being a Vancouver Island resident that uses the ferries regularly.

I get that marine accidents happen to the best of countries, but I would have assumed that a country like S. Korea would have their sh** dialed when it came to a ferry mishap... just like I would assume BC/Canada would have our asses covered....ie the MV Queen of the North...

On March 22, 2006, with 101 persons aboard, she failed to make a planned course change, ran aground and sank. Two passengers, whose bodies were never found, were lost in the tragedy. The ship had a gross tonnage of 8,806 (the fifth largest in fleet), and an overall length of 125 metres (14th longest in the fleet). She had a capacity of 700 passengers and 115 cars.

A large number of small fishing and recreational vessels from Hartley Bay were the first on the scene to answer the distress call, arriving in a fleet of small watercraft in the dead of night to pick up survivors. Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria tasked Canadian Coast Guard vessels CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, CCGC Point Henry, CCGS W.E. Ricker, CCGC Kitimat II and the CCGS Vector, along with 2 CH-149 Cormorant helicopters and 1 CC-115 Buffalo aircraft from the 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron at CFB Comox to the scene of the sinking.

Originally the evacuation of the ship was reported to be a smooth one; however, stories of chest high water and trapped crew members surfaced on March 24. According to the official BC Ferries press release, 99 of the 101 passengers and crew were safely evacuated with only a few minor injuries,[7] and many of them found refuge in nearby Hartley Bay.

[Bigtime]

Saw a bit of this on BBC news last night, did not care for them putting up text messages from kids trapped on the ship to family members.

I don't know the time frame of how long it was until the ship was turned right over, but had the crew told folks to get up on deck is it reasonable to figure most could have jumped into the water and been saved? What is the ocean temperature in that area?

[Looch City]

Apparently only 1 or 2 of the 46 lifeboats were deployed....

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/17/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

[tvp2003]

I really hope this story has a happy ending. Adding another 300 seemingly preventable deaths is in many ways unfathomable.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

They were saying on the news last night that the waters are pretty frigid, and that survival is difficult after a couple of hours.

Terrible news though. That ferry was headed towards Jeju Island. I never made it there when I travelled Korea, but I heard it's a fun resort island. Tragic to think those kids were just off to a spring break vacation.

[chemgear]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/0...0D407X20140418

The vice-principal of a South Korean high school who accompanied hundreds of pupils on a ferry that capsized has committed suicide, police said on Friday, as hopes faded of finding any of the 274 missing alive.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/18/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

An arrest warrant was issued Friday for the captain of the ferry that sank off the coast of South Korea, an accident that killed 29 people and left nearly 270 missing.

Two other crew members also face arrest, a spokesman for the joint prosecutor and police investigators said Friday.

[tvp2003]

From the CNN article

Adding to the pain for families, police said texts and social media messages claiming to be from missing passengers turned out to be fake.

Media outlets, including CNN, shared the texts with a wide audience.

Even if a few dozen are able to survive, you're still looking at hundreds more dead. Absolutely tragic.

[RedCoffee]

So sad.

I'm not a parent but I can't imagine any worse feeling on this earth then getting the news and going to a cold/frigid dock to see if your kid made it. And if they didn't, there's the submerged boat right in front of you.

Then you find out the captain abandoned ship first. And as the bodies get pulled out, you have to go identify it.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Confirmed death toll is over 100 now. Essentially zero chance of finding any survivors.

http://time.com/71342/south-korea-fe...eath-toll-100/

The captain and a few crew members are being charged with accidental homicide. I say good riddance. It's disgusting to think that the captain just abandoned ship as early as he did, leaving hundreds of children to die. Apparently he even pretended to be a passenger on the ship while being one of the first people to receive medical aid. Garbage human being.

[sharkov]

Not only is the captain first to abandon ship, he tries to save face by saying he was trying to rescue the children. So much for the country's "glorious" naval traditions.

[chemgear]

Captain fleeing in his underwear.