All 267 rescued after South Korean ferry runs aground, stirring memories of 2014 Sewol disaster – Firstpost

All 267 people on board a South Korean passenger ferry that ran aground off the southwest coast were rescued safely on Wednesday, an incident that brought back memories of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people.

according to a reuters According to the report, the Coast Guard said all passengers and crew were evacuated from the ship, with 27 people suffering minor injuries. Most of those rescued will be taken to the port city of Mokpo, while 21 crew members are expected to remain on board for now.

Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Yong-jin said the plane may have been blocked due to a navigational error by the captain or an officer, but he said a full investigation would be launched.

President Lee Jae Myung, who is currently on a trip 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 Genuvia 2 was traveling from Jeju Island to Mokpo. The boat’s Mokpo-based operator, SeaWorld Ferries, lists the ship as having a capacity for 1,010 passengers, as well as a lower deck for larger vehicles and passenger cars.

A coast guard official said the boat had hit a rocky island near Jindo.

A loud bang startled passengers during the night, causing panic and confusion, passenger Kim Namhyun said.

“I thought I was going to die. The sound was so loud,” reuters Kim, 51, a diving instructor on Jeju Island, was quoted as saying.

“But after seeing the Sewol ferry, I knew that in situations like this, you have to stay calm, go out, wear a life jacket and wait,” Kim said, referring to the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014.

The footage shows passengers wearing life jackets waiting to be transferred to rescue boats.

The bow of the ship appeared to be stuck on the shore of a small island, but appeared to be standing upright and the passengers seemed calm. Weather conditions are reported to be fine with light winds.

2014 ferry sinking, one of the country’s worst disasters

Memories of the sinking of the Sewol ferry, which was carrying several children on a school trip to Jeju in South Korea, are still fresh.

The Sewol was sailing from the west coast port of Incheon when it sank near the site of Wednesday’s incident, although off Jindo Island.

The ferry was later found to be overloaded and illegally modified to carry more cargo than allowed, but she capsized too quickly and began to list.

It lay on its side and passengers waited for rescue before sinking as the nation watched on live television.

Many victims were found in their cabins, where they were 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