NO MORE SURVIVORS FOUND
It has been nearly a week since tragedy struck passengers aboard a South Korean ferry headed for Jeju island in South Korea. Of the 475 passengers that were on the ferry, 87 have been confirmed dead and 215 people are still missing.
Rescue members search for the missing passengers near the buoys that mark the location of the capsized ferry at sea. The ferry is now completely submerged, so the buoys are there to mark where the ferry is. AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JE
Investigators found out that the captain and crew members of the ferry had not acted responsibly, leading to the deaths of so many passengers. They had told the passengers not to move when the ferry started tilting. This delayed their evacuation and by the time they tried to escape the sinking ferry, it was already too late. However, the captain and most of his crew members managed to escape, leaving the passengers behind. The captain and some of his crew members have been arrested for neglecting and deserting the passengers.
A monk leads a prayer session with family members of victims of the South Korean ferry 'Sewol' at Jindo harbour on April 21, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ED JONES
Meanwhile, divers have managed to enter the sunken ferry to retrieve the bodies of some of the dead passengers. South Korean president Park Geun-Hye visited the relatives of the missing passengers, most of whom were schoolchildren, to express her sorrow. She said, "Not only my heart, but the hearts of all South Koreans have been broken and filled with shock and anger."
South Korea's President Park Geun-Hye speaks to relatives of missing passengers as they wait for updates about their loved ones at a gym in Jindo. AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JE
People hold candles at a vigil for the safe return of the missing students who were passengers of the South Korean capsized ferry. AFP PHOTO / KIM DOO-HO
To read our earlier story on the sinking of the ferry, click on this story "Ferry capsizes in South Korea, hundreds are missing".
Featured image: Messages and flowers have been placedat a makeshift memorial at the main gate of Danwon high school in Ansan, South Korea, where many of the schoolchildren missing from the sunken South Korean ferry "Sewol" attended. AFP PHOTO / KIM DOO-HO
