South Korea ferry: Hundreds missing as ship sinks

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

Worst of all is that most of these people are around our age 17/18 years old!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27045512

I can only happen to know the devastating impact caused on their families and the ripple effect it has caused for relatives back here in the UK, many of whom are my friends sharing status over this incident. (I shared this now on TSR as well seeing as no threads have been made about it)

My thoughts and prayers go out to these people and hope more survivors are found.

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Reply 1

User995789

Did you hear the controversial side of it?
They were told "not to move" but that hindered those that could have clung onto the non sinking side.

Reply 2

User1248243

Original post by Blueray2

Did you hear the controversial side of it?
They were told "not to move" but that hindered those that could have clung onto the non sinking side.

No, but I read this (see underneath in quotes) on the live text page. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27059155

"South Korean journalist Jaehwan Cho tweets: Local police saying some messages claiming "We're still alive" are mostly fake. #PrayForSouthKorea #Sewol"

Reply 3

the bear

i just hope that this was not an attack by North Korea.

Reply 4

User995789

Original post by the bear

i just hope that this was not an attack by North Korea.

How could they? Don't they have pretty high security from all the tension anyway?

Reply 5

username638250

Original post by the bear

i just hope that this was not an attack by North Korea.

They think it's most likely due to bumping into an object. Rumours are that the captain (not normally the person taking the journey) took an alterrnative route which isn't allowed.

I have so many feelings about this, especially being a South Korean. The captain escaping and joking about a 25 pound note with his crew member, the people who faked the messages, the missing children, the stewardess who was the only crew member to make an EFFORT...

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 6

User1248243

Original post by yl95

What so did he come out being rescued or did he just leave and run away? Captains are never meant to abandon ship.

Reply 7

username638250

Original post by Guren

What so did he come out being rescued or did he just leave and run away? Captains are never meant to abandon ship.

As in being rescued first, sorry. Rumour says that he told the rescuers that he was a passenger. Nevertheless, he should have actually TRIED to save the passengers. The only crew member who tried to help was the one who died. ;(

Reply 8

User1248243

Original post by yl95

That's awful. Is he in custody being questioned now? And you say their was only 1 crew member who tried to help which makes me question the peoples selfish nature :/

Reply 9

username638250

Original post by Guren

That's awful. Is he in custody being questioned now? And you say their was only 1 crew member who tried to help which makes me question the peoples selfish nature :/

I think so?
It's their duty to help those on board. Regardless, the fact that no one was instructed to put on lifeboats and that they were instructed to stay still angers me so much. There could have been so many more survivors. I hope they find some more.

Reply 10

uberteknik

Thoughts and condolences go out to all the families and friends caught up in this unfolding tragedy.

I watched the lunchtime news with heartache when the last text messages of those trapped were reported and the palpable anguish of distraught parents. I cannot imagine the terror in those last minutes. Truly awful.

Reply 11

User1248243

Original post by yl95

That's crazy, what kind of health and safety board approves these people?!
I suppose if there was a silver lining in this is that pressure from people, media, and others should cause some reform to come about from this and protect future students, but for the families it's too late :/
Yeah there will be more survivors hopefully :smile:

Reply 12

username638250

Original post by Guren

Health and safety is notoriously bad in South Korea. Quite a few construction workers die each year, the Sampoong shopping mall incident etc are all as a result of Korea's focus on speed (think: rapid industrialisation).

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 13

AspiringDoctor

It's incredibly saddening for another travel-related incident to have happened so soon after MH370. RIP to all those who have sadly passed and thoughts and condolences go out to their family and friends.

Apparently the captain was a stand-in. There's a lot of stuff going round saying that he wasn't actually supposed to be going ahead with the trip but did so anyway and that when he was at the hospital, reporters said that he was busy trying to dry a $50 note. Not sure whether to believe any of it but..

Massive respect to the people who showed such selflessness in trying to save others. It's Jung Chawoong's birthday today, I hope they are in a better place now.

Reply 14

username638250

Original post by AspiringDoctor

The death toll's been rising whereas the number rescued hasn't increased. :frown:

It is incredibly saddening and I hope that everyone missing, dead or alive, is found to bring some closure to the families and friends. The crane had better arrive as soon as possible because it's a race against time.

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Reply 15

AspiringDoctor

Original post by yl95

The death toll's been rising whereas the number rescued hasn't increased. :frown:

It's all very sad. Most experts are in agreement that the chances of more survivors is small.

This bought a tear to my eye:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/17/south-korea-ferry-sinks-students/7809913/

"Among those on board was a 5-year-old girl who has become a symbol of the tragedy.

Kyun Ji-Yeon was going to start a new life off the country's south coast. Tired of the urban struggle, her father Kyun Jae-Gyun had loaded a truck with their furniture and possessions to head to Jeju's mild climate. He planned to grow tangerines, one of the island's best-known exports.

The girl was among the survivors. She was taken with others to a Mokpo hospital on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula and did not know where her family was.

She told nurses that her brother, age 6, and her mother, had put a life jacket on her and pushed her up and out of the tilted ferry with the help of other adults, reported SBS television network. Concerned nurses and others who knew she was alone started a social media campaign Wednesday, posting her picture online, to find her family members, reported the Korea Times newspaper.

Celebrities were among the many people who spread the word on social networks about the little girl, including TV host and entertainer Ha Dong-hoon, better known as Haha. They later learned they had the wrong spelling for the girl's name. After correcting it, a cousin of the girl tweeted that an aunt and grandmother had seen Kyun on television and were heading to the hospital.

Kyun showed little emotion in television footage but her aunt said she was showing stress and had thrown up the cookies she had fed her. A passenger surnamed Kim said he was the one who took her in his arms as he climbed up the tilted ship, said the Korea Times.

She was passed between four men before being taken from the ship. There has been no word on whether her father, mother and brother made it off."

I can't imagine being so young and realizing (which she probably does) that you may never see your immediate family ever again.

Reply 16

User1248243

Original post by yl95

Yeah rapid industrialization without enforced regulation is a problem for all these expanding major cities.
Apparently they have some really polluted river in some area as well that got recently cleaned? Read it in the Geography Review :smile:

Original post by AspiringDoctor

The bravery of those 2 shown is beyond belief and no doubt they are in a better place now, where did you find that article?

Reply 17

username638250

Original post by Guren

The bravery of those 2 shown is beyond belief and no doubt they are in a better place now, where did you find that article?

It's disappointing how the 15th or so largest economy has so many flaws that mirror those in developing countries.

That's a screenshot of Korean news and it can be found literally anywhere.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 18

joey11223

The lose of life is huge, I couldn't believe it tbh, it seems the large majority might have actually drowned here, which seems pretty insane. I get initial confusion, but as soon as it started listing notably I cannot understand why you'd tell people to stay in their rooms/stay still and wait. It's fairly obvious the thing is going to capsize at that time, it was fairly quick though I believe they said it took an hour or so to tip right over, they had 46 lifeboats apparently, 2 were launched.....madness.

Also yet again we see a captain leaving his ship right away, some were saying he pretended to be a passenger and got on one of the lifeboats, not confirmed I assume. But damn where is his honor, okay you don't literally have to go down with the ship, but you'd surely try and organize the best rescue you could once you realized this was a serious incident.

Reply 19

User1248243

Original post by yl95

To be fair did you know London's air pollution is far beyond safe levels and the EU is forced to fine it few hundred million?
Although 2 wrongs don't make a right, looks like our generation will have to prioritize the climate, wonder where our degree skills could fit in there :tongue: