Spare a thought for the families of almost 300 high school students and others

who are still missing following the sinking of that ferry in South Korea.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/16/rescuers-battle-to-save-476-passengers-after-ferry-sinks-off-south-korea
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At least 295 people are still unaccounted for as efforts continue to rescue passengers aboard a South Korean ferry that sank off the country’s south-west coast on Wednesday morning.

Officials said two of the ship’s 476 passengers, which included more than 300 children, of which 164 have been rescued. The South Korean coast guard confirmed two dead but there were fears that many passengers may have been trapped inside the vessel as it listed and sank.

There were conflicting reports throughout the morning of the number of people who had been rescued. Four hours after the accident, Yonhap said 368 people had been confirmed as safe, including 13 injured, with a further 107 unaccounted for.

The Sewol, a car and passenger ferry, sent out a distress signal shortly before 9am local time. The 6,852-tonne vessel had been en route from the western port of Incheon to the southern resort island of Jeju, located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) off the mainland, when it reportedly hit rocks and began listing severely.