2 dead as S Korean ship sinks

At least two people died as a ferry with 477 tilted and slowly sank off the southwest coast of Republic of Korea (ROK) on Wednesday. It’s unclear exactly how many of the 477 people on board were rescued. Many jumped from the listing ship to the freezing waters below. Rescue boats and helicopters scrambled to pluck passengers, most of them high school students, from the sinking ferry. At one point, South Korean authorities said 386 passengers had been rescued and that 104 remain unaccounted for. But later Wednesday, they said they couldn’t provide exact numbers. What is known is that at least two people – a woman and a student – were confirmed dead. The rescue operation was still underway six hours after the ferry first sent out distress signal. Authorities could not immediately say what caused the ship to sink. The weather at the time of the incident in the area was clear, according to Yonhap, CNN and BBC.