The ferry had commenced journey yesterday (15) Tuesday around 9.30 in the night and the accident had happened at approximately 9 in the morning today (16). The reason for the tragedy is still not clear. What a student who escaped death said was that a sudden blast was heard and on inquiry it was found that the ferry was sinking.
Seeing it sinking, the school-children had promptly got into their life-saving attire and jumped out from the vessel and later boarded rescue boats and rescue aircrafts arriving at this emergency situation. However, it is understood that so far, they had been able to save the lives of only 164 passengers. It is reported that during the lapse of time occuring in the process of the arrival of rescue-workers, a large crowd of passengers had gone missing and rescue operations are still underway.
South Korean authorities have already confirmed that by now 2 passengers on board the vessel have died. It was reported that one of them is a female aged 27 years while
the other is a male whose details are not much known.
What South Korean authorities say is that another crowd of passengers close upon 290 are not to be found. By now, in order to save the other passengers, the Navy, coastal security, civil vessels and 18 helicopters have been utilised in rescue-work.
What can be seen of the sunk passenger vessel which weighs 6800 tons by now is only a part on the surface of the ocean.
At this time the temperature of the waters in this sea region is 12 degrees Centigrade and as the water is extremely cold, suspicions have been aroused as to whether the passengers had fallen into the sea from the ferry have died because of the cold.
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