Ferry transcript reveals crew panic

Scuffles broke out as police prevented families from crossing a bridge

The last communications between the South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday and traffic services reveal panic and indecision by the crew.

In the newly released transcript, a crew member repeatedly asks if there were vessels on hand to rescue passengers if evacuation was ordered.

The captain has said he delayed the move for fear people would drift away.

After three days, divers have now entered the ferry and retrieved 26 bodies, bringing the death toll to 58.

However, another 244 people are still missing. Some 174 passengers were rescued.

The Sewol capsized during a journey from Incheon in the north-west to the southern island of Jeju. There were 476 people on board - including 339 children and teachers on a school trip,

Investigations are focusing on whether the vessel took too sharp a turn before it started listing and whether an earlier evacuation order could have saved lives.

Some experts believe the turn could have dislodged heavy cargo and destabilised the vessel.

Messages and phone calls from those inside paint a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the sharply-listing ferry.

Details of the panic on the bridge emerged on Sunday, when the coastguard released a transcript of the last communications between the crew and controllers.

At 09:24 - 29 minutes after the Sewol issued its first distress call - a controller says: "Please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing.''

The unidentified crew member says: "If this ferry evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?"

"At least make them wear life rings and make them escape,'' the controller from the Jindo Vessel Traffic Services Centre replies.

As he continues to urge the crew to prepare for evacuation, the crew member twice asks if passengers would be "rescued straight away".

It was not until 09:37 - a few seconds before the last communication - that it became clear to controllers that evacuation had been ordered.

On Saturday the captain, Lee Joon-seok, appeared on TV saying: "I bow my head in apology to the families of the victims.

"The current was very strong, the temperature of the ocean water was cold, and I thought that if people left the ferry without proper judgement, if they were not wearing a life jacket, and even if they were, they would drift away and face many other difficulties."

'Novice' at the helm

Mr Lee, 69, was not on the bridge when the ferry began listing. It was steered inexperienced by a third mate who had never navigated the waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors said on Saturday.

The captain and two other crew members have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

Since the capsize, many of the relatives of those on board have been on Jindo island, near the site of the accident. Some have protested over the rescue operation.

The recovery operation is expected to take weeks

Relatives of victims have gathered on Jindo island, near the site of the sinking

Many are anxiously looking at a board where details of recovered bodies are given

Scuffles broke out when some family members tried to cross a bridge to the mainland, reportedly to march on the presidency building in Seoul, some 420km (260 miles) to the north.

"Bring me the body so that I can see the face and hug my child," shouted one woman.

Lee Woon-geun, father of missing passenger Lee Jung-in, 17, said: "We want an answer from the person in charge about why orders are not going through and nothing is being done. They are clearly lying and kicking the responsibility to others."

Sewol Ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok: "I am sorry to the people of South Korea"

Relatives are anxious for the bodies to be retrieved before they decompose.

The BBC's Jonathan Head on Jindo says even the prime minister came down to try to dissuade the protesters from marching on Seoul, with officials worried that the controversy could turn into a national political issue and harm the government.

Boats carrying 13 of the recently retrieved bodies arrived at Paengmok Port on Jindo on Sunday.

About 200 ships, 34 aircraft and 600 divers have been taking part in the search operation. Fishing boats with powerful lights have been brought in to help the divers operate at night.

But the currents are still strong and the visibility remains challenging.

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Published on: 5:33 PM

At least 2 dead, 293 missing after S. Korea ferry full of students sinks

April 16, 2014: South Korean rescue helicopters fly over a passenger ship.AP/Yonhap

South Korean officials said Wednesday that nearly 300 people were still missing several hours after a passenger ferry sank off that country's southern coast, leaving at least two dead and seven injured. 

A government official had said earlier Wednesday that around 100 people were unaccounted for, but the number was later revised upward due to a tallying error. 

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The ferry was carrying 477 people, most of them high school students, and was bound for the island of Jeju when it sent a distress call at around 9 a.m. local time Wednesday as it began leaning to one side, according to South Korea's Ministry of Security and Public Administration.  

The government said about 95 percent of the ship was submerged.

Two coast guard officers told the Associated Press that a 27-year-old woman named Park Ji-yeong and another unidentified person had died. Both spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules. 

Media photos showed wet students, some without shoes, some wrapped in blankets, tended to by emergency workers. One student, Lim Hyung-min, told broadcaster YTN from a gym on a nearby island that he and other students jumped into the ocean wearing life jackets and then swam to a nearby rescue boat.

"As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," Lim said, adding that some people were bleeding. Once he jumped, the ocean "was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

The water temperature in the area was about 12 degrees Celsius, cold enough to cause signs of hypothermia after about 90 minutes or 2 hours, according to an emergency official who spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules. Officials said mud on the ocean floor made underwater search operations difficult.

Local media photographs showed the ship heavily tilted onto its side, partially submerged, as helicopters flew overhead and rescue vessels and a small boat covered with an orange tarp floated nearby. Photos showed wet students wrapped in blankets as emergency workers tended to them.

"We heard a big thumping sound and the boat stopped," a passenger told the YTN news channel by telephone, The Guardian reported. "The boat is tilting and we have to hold on to something to stay seated." 

Park Ji-hee, a first-year student, said she saw about a dozen parents crying at the school entrance and many cars and taxies gathered at the gate as she left in the morning.

She said some students in her classroom began to cry as they saw the news on their handsets. Teachers tried to soothe them, saying that the students on the ship would be fine.

Passenger Kim Seong-mok, speaking from a nearby island after his rescue, told YTN that he was "certain" people were trapped inside the ship as water quickly filled up inside and the severe tilt of the ferry kept them from reaching the exits. Some people yelled at those who couldn't get out, urging them to break windows.

Kim said that after having breakfast he felt the ferry tilt and then heard it crash into something. He said the ferry operator made an announcement asking that passengers wait and not move from their places. Kim said he didn't hear any announcement telling passengers to escape.

The students are from a high school in Ansan city, near Seoul, and they were on their way to Jeju for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi Province, which governs the city. The ship left Incheon port, just west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs & Port Administration.

A total of 16 helicopters, 34 rescue vessels and navy divers were sent to the area, Lee Gyeong-og, a vice minister for South Korea's Public Administration and Security Ministry, told a televised news conference. He said President Park Geun-hye ordered a thorough rescue operation to prevent deaths. He said 14 had been injured so far, including one described as serious, and taken to hospitals.

Later Wednesday, 21 navy and 11 coast guard divers began searching the near-sunken ship for survivors, according to emergency officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Published on: 7:14 PM

S.KOREA FERRY PROBE Captain defends decision to delay evacuation call

 

The captain of the doomed South Korean ferry has defended his decision not to tell passengers to abandon ship due to the water conditions and other factors.

Lee Joon-seok, 68, who was arrested Saturday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need, said he feared passengers would be swept away in the strong currents because there were no rescue ships in the water at the time.

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The captain was translated, saying, "At the time, the current was very strong, temperature of the ocean water was cold and I thought that if people left the ferry without proper judgment, if they were not wearing a life jacket, and even if they were, they would drift away and face many other difficulties."

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed dead rose to 36 after divers broke a window in the submerged ferry and retrieved three more bodies, Kim Kwang-hyun, a coast guard official, said early Sunday. These apparently were the first bodies recovered from inside the ferry since it sank. About 265 people are still missing, and most are believed to be trapped inside the 6,852-ton vessel.

The ferry sank off South Korea's southern coast Wednesday with 476 people aboard, most of them students from a single high school. Many of the missing are believed to be trapped inside the ferry, but divers fighting strong currents and rain have been unable to get to them.

Two crew members also were taken into custody today, including a rookie third mate who a prosecutor said was steering in challenging waters unfamiliar to her when the accident occurred.

Relatives of the missing expressed their anger at officials holding a briefing today. A few dozen people surged toward the stage, hurling rapid-fire questions at the officials. One man tried to choke a coast guard lieutenant and punch a maritime policeman, but missed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Published on: 6:47 PM

Novice 'steered South Korea ferry'

Victim's father Kim Byung-kwon: "I should have told her to jump off the boat"

The South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday was steered by an inexperienced third mate who had never navigated the challenging waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors say.

The third mate is in custody along with the captain and another crew member.

Coastguards confirmed on Saturday that divers had retrieved three bodies from the ferry, bringing the number of confirmed dead to 36.

Some 174 passengers have been rescued, with another 266 still missing.

Recovery operations may take two months, officials say, as the divers battle strong currents and poor visibility to reach the sunken vessel.

"Divers broke through the window of a passenger cabin... and pulled out three bodies," a coastguard official told the AFP news agency on Saturday.

All three were wearing lifejackets, he added.

The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers and crew, capsized during a journey from the port of Incheon in the north-west to the southern holiday island of Jeju.

Ferry captain Lee Joon-seok, 69 - who was not initially on the bridge - faces charges including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

'Unfamiliar' waters

Late on Saturday prosecutors said that the third mate had been steering the ferry in waters that were unfamiliar to her.

Asked how long the rescue operation was likely to continue, Shin Won-nam, the head of the Emergency Management Centre, told reporters that it could take weeks, if not months.

"We are not sure about it. But according to the experts, the rescue may last one or two months," he said.

He added that it was very unlikely someone trapped alive after the sinking could survive if it took this long.

Relatives have begun providing DNA samples to help identify the dead.

Sewol Ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok: "I am sorry to the people of South Korea"

Investigations are focusing on a sharp turn the vessel took before it started listing and whether an evacuation order could have saved lives.

Footage from the ship appeared to show instructions from crew members for passengers to remain on board even as it tilted dramatically to one side.

Mr Lee says he delayed the evacuation, fearing passengers would "drift away".

He was shown on television on Saturday following his arrest.

"I am sorry to the people of South Korea for causing a disturbance and I bow my head in apology to the families of the victims," he said.

Funerals have already begun for the victims

Relatives of the missing passengers were shown underwater footage of divers reaching the vessel

Rescue workers continued to search for survivors through Friday night

Search teams installed buoys to mark the position of the ship after it disappeared under the surface on Friday

Some experts believe the ship's tight turn could have dislodged heavy cargo and destabilised the vessel, while others suggest the sinking could have been caused by a collision with a rock.

Messages and phone calls from those inside painted a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the sharply-listing ferry.

Officials say air has been pumped into the ship to aid any people trapped inside and to help refloat the vessel.

But they say cranes at the site will not be used until they are certain no-one inside is alive.

Nets around ferry

The South Korean coastguard says conditions around the vessel are dangerous, with fast currents, poor visibility and high waves hampering the operation.

The BBC's Jonathan Head says video filmed by divers was shown to relatives

Choi Sang-hwan, deputy director of the national coastguard, said nets would be placed around the sunken ferry to prevent any bodies drifting away.

Some 350 of those on board were students from Danwon High School in Ansan, a suburb of Seoul, who were on a school outing when the ferry sank.

Hundreds of relatives of those on board have been camping at a gymnasium on Jindo island near the scene of the disaster.

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Published on: 6:30 PM

Ferry disaster captain 'arrested'

The ferry's captain has been arrested, according to news agency Yonhap - Lucy Williamson reports

The captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized and sank earlier this week has been arrested, Yonhap news agency reports.

The South Korean agency said Lee Joon-seok faced charges including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

Yonhap said a local court had issued arrest warrants for him and two other crew members on these charges.

Efforts to find the 268 people still missing have been hampered by low visibility and strong currents.

Twenty-eight people are now known to have died in the disaster, with 179 rescued.

The ferry Sewol was sailing from Incheon, in the north-west, to the southern resort island of Jeju. It capsized and sank within two hours.

'Sorry and ashamed'

Mr Lee, who had already been questioned by police, was shown on television on Thursday, his face partially obscured, apologising to the victims and their relatives.

"I am really sorry and deeply ashamed. I don't know what to say," he said.

It has emerged that a junior officer - and not the captain - was at the helm of the ferry when it capsized.

Investigations are focusing on the sharp turn the vessel took before it started listing and whether an evacuation order could have saved lives.

Search teams install buoys to mark the position of the sunken ferry after the keel of the ship disappeared under the surface on Friday

Families of the missing are staying at the gymnasium at Jindo, an island near the site of the sinking

Many of the missing are students from Danwon High School in Ansan, near Seoul

Some experts believe such a tight turn could have dislodged heavy cargo and destabilised the vessel, while others suggest it could have been caused by a collision with a rock.

Survivors have accused the crew of instructing them to remain where they were rather than evacuate the ship.

Messages and phone calls from those inside painted a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the sharply-listing ferry.

Earlier on Friday, coastguard officials said that two divers had managed to enter the cargo bay of the vessel, but could not identify or rescue anyone because of items obstructing their way.

Officials say air has been pumped into the ship to aid any people trapped inside and to help refloat the vessel. But officials say it is unlikely anyone has survived.

Three salvage cranes have reached the site and they may be used to raise the ship or move it to another area with weaker currents.

But challenging conditions hampered the search for a third consecutive day.

Vice-principal found dead

Some 350 of those on board were students from Danwon High School in Ansan, a suburb of Seoul, who were on a school outing when the ferry sank.

The vice-principal of Danwon High School, who was rescued from the ferry, was found dead on nearby Jindo island on Friday.

Kang Min-kyu, 52, had been missing since Thursday and was discovered hanging from a tree near the gym on Jindo - where many of the relatives of missing passengers have been staying.

At the high school in Ansan, friends and family of the missing gathered on Friday.

"When I first received the call telling me the news, at that time I still had hope," said Cho Kyung-mi, waiting for news of her missing 16-year-old nephew at the school. "And now it's all gone."

Are you in the area? Do you have any information you would like to share? Please send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'South Korea ferry'.

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Published on: 6:23 PM

At least 2 dead, 293 missing after S. Korea ferry full of students sinks

April 16, 2014: South Korean rescue helicopters fly over a passenger ship.AP/Yonhap

South Korean officials said Wednesday that nearly 300 people were still missing several hours after a passenger ferry sank off that country's southern coast, leaving at least two dead and seven injured. 

A government official had said earlier Wednesday that around 100 people were unaccounted for, but the number was later revised upward due to a tallying error. 

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The ferry was carrying 477 people, most of them high school students, and was bound for the island of Jeju when it sent a distress call at around 9 a.m. local time Wednesday as it began leaning to one side, according to South Korea's Ministry of Security and Public Administration.  

The government said about 95 percent of the ship was submerged.

Two coast guard officers told the Associated Press that a 27-year-old woman named Park Ji-yeong and another unidentified person had died. Both spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules. 

Media photos showed wet students, some without shoes, some wrapped in blankets, tended to by emergency workers. One student, Lim Hyung-min, told broadcaster YTN from a gym on a nearby island that he and other students jumped into the ocean wearing life jackets and then swam to a nearby rescue boat.

"As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," Lim said, adding that some people were bleeding. Once he jumped, the ocean "was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

The water temperature in the area was about 12 degrees Celsius, cold enough to cause signs of hypothermia after about 90 minutes or 2 hours, according to an emergency official who spoke on condition of anonymity citing department rules. Officials said mud on the ocean floor made underwater search operations difficult.

Local media photographs showed the ship heavily tilted onto its side, partially submerged, as helicopters flew overhead and rescue vessels and a small boat covered with an orange tarp floated nearby. Photos showed wet students wrapped in blankets as emergency workers tended to them.

"We heard a big thumping sound and the boat stopped," a passenger told the YTN news channel by telephone, The Guardian reported. "The boat is tilting and we have to hold on to something to stay seated." 

Park Ji-hee, a first-year student, said she saw about a dozen parents crying at the school entrance and many cars and taxies gathered at the gate as she left in the morning.

She said some students in her classroom began to cry as they saw the news on their handsets. Teachers tried to soothe them, saying that the students on the ship would be fine.

Passenger Kim Seong-mok, speaking from a nearby island after his rescue, told YTN that he was "certain" people were trapped inside the ship as water quickly filled up inside and the severe tilt of the ferry kept them from reaching the exits. Some people yelled at those who couldn't get out, urging them to break windows.

Kim said that after having breakfast he felt the ferry tilt and then heard it crash into something. He said the ferry operator made an announcement asking that passengers wait and not move from their places. Kim said he didn't hear any announcement telling passengers to escape.

The students are from a high school in Ansan city, near Seoul, and they were on their way to Jeju for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi Province, which governs the city. The ship left Incheon port, just west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs & Port Administration.

A total of 16 helicopters, 34 rescue vessels and navy divers were sent to the area, Lee Gyeong-og, a vice minister for South Korea's Public Administration and Security Ministry, told a televised news conference. He said President Park Geun-hye ordered a thorough rescue operation to prevent deaths. He said 14 had been injured so far, including one described as serious, and taken to hospitals.

Later Wednesday, 21 navy and 11 coast guard divers began searching the near-sunken ship for survivors, according to emergency officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Published on: 4:30 PM

Many missing as S Korea ferry sinks

Lucy Williamson: Images reveal how quickly the ship went down

Almost 300 people remain unaccounted for after a ferry carrying 459 people capsized and sank off South Korea.

The ferry, carrying mainly school students, was travelling from the port of Incheon, in the north-west, to the southern resort island of Jeju.

A major rescue effort is under way, involving dozens of ships and helicopters. Those brought to safety were taken to a nearby island.

Three people are now said to have died and at least 13 others have been hurt.

South Korean officials had earlier said that 368 people had been plucked to safety, but later said there had been a counting error.

They have now revised down the number rescued to 164. Officials also revised down the number of people on the ferry from 476.

Images showed the ferry listing at a severe angle and then later almost completely submerged, with only a small part of its hull visible. It sank within two hours of sending a distress signal, reports said.

Cause unclear

Several coast guard, military and commercial vessels were involved in the rescue effort, which unfolded rapidly on Wednesday morning.

Dozens of passengers have been rescued but the fate of many others remains unknown

Reports said the ship capsized and sank within a period of two hours

Teams have brought rescued passengers to shore - at least 13 are reported to be hurt

Military and civilian ships and helicopters have been searching for survivors

Pictures from the scene showed rescue teams balanced on the sinking hull pulling teenagers from cabin windows. Some of their classmates jumped into the sea as the ship went down.

Reports suggest some of those rescued were picked up by nearby commercial vessels. The US Navy was also reported to be sending a ship to assist.

Navy divers were now searching the scene for those unaccounted for, officials said, but the work was challenging.

"There is so much mud in the sea water and the visibility is very low," said Lee Gyeong-og, vice-minister of security and public administration.

One body, of a female crew member, had been recovered from the ship, the coastguard said. Another person, a male high school student, died after being rescued.

One student told local media her friends became trapped.

"Currently, I am in the middle of being rescued. At the time, the ship was turning on its side, and none of us were moving as we were told not to move as it was dangerous," the unnamed student said.

"So, I am not well aware of the situation, but I am told that my friends and other friends could not escape as the passage was blocked. It seems that there are many students who could not get out as the passage was blocked by water."

It is not yet clear what caused the incident, but witnesses described hearing an impact, before the ship listed and quickly sank.

One passenger told the YTN news channel: "We heard a big thumping sound and the boat stopped.

"The boat is tilting and we have to hold on to something to stay seated," the passenger said.

Another passenger said the ship was "shaking and tilting", with people tripping and bumping into each other.

Weather conditions were described as fine. Yonhap news agency said that the ferry sank at a depth of 30m (90ft).

News agencies said the ferry had sent out a distress signal about 20km (12 miles) off the island of Byungpoong at about 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

"We will try to determine the cause of the accident after rescue operations are over," said Lee Gyeong-og.

Many of the passengers were students from a high school in a suburb of Seoul heading off on a four-day field trip to Jeju.

Angry parents have gathered at the school in Incheon to demand answers, reports the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

Earlier reports put the number of passengers on the ferry at about 350. The vessel is reported to have a capacity of up to 900 people.

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Published on: 4:24 PM