Four dead, 291 missing in S Korea ferry sinking
Thursday, 17 April 2014
JINDO (South Korea), April 16 (AFP): South Korean rescuers, including elite navy SEAL divers, worked frantically under floodlights Wednesday to find nearly 300 people missing after a ferry sank with 459 on board, mostly high school students bound for a holiday island.
Lee Gyeong-Og, the vice minister of security and public administration, said 164 people had been rescued, leaving 291 "unaccounted for". There were four confirmed deaths, including a female crew member and a student.
There are fears the confirmed death toll could rise sharply. The 6,825-tonne Sewol listed violently, capsized and finally sank-all within two hours of sending a distress signal at 9:00am (0000 GMT).