South Korean ferry sinking: Death toll rises to 56.
Hopes of finding survivors among the hundreds missing after the ferry sank are also fading.
South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on April 20th that divers involved in the rescue operation are continuing to search every nook and cranny of the sunken Sewol ferry off the southern coast of South Korea. By the morning of April 20th, more than 10 bodies had been found inside the ferry. These are the first bodies recovered from the vessel since it sank on April 16th.
Hopes of finding survivors among the hundreds missing after the ferry sank are also fading.
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| Police officers carry the body of a victim recently recovered from the sunken Sewol ferry (Photo: Yonhap) |
By 3 PM (local time), a total of 16 bodies had been recovered by divers from inside the Sewol ferry. There are fears that many of the hundreds of victims still missing may have died and are trapped inside the sunken ferry.
The bodies found so far have raised the death toll to 56, and the number of people still missing is 246.
A total of 476 people were on board the 6,825-ton Sewol ferry when it sank on April 16, the majority of whom were students from Danwon High School near Seoul. 174 of the passengers and crew were rescued.
Today, divers focused their search for victims in the ship's passenger compartment. Strong currents and limited underwater visibility hampered the search efforts. Officials said they would make the most of short periods when the currents slowed down (which occurred several times throughout the day) to expedite the search.
The weather in the area where the ferry sank was relatively good on April 20th.
South Korean officials said that approximately 560 divers will take turns conducting underwater searches today. Meanwhile, 204 naval, coast guard, and private vessels, along with 34 aircraft, will search the area around the sunken ferry.
The divers' operations are expected to speed up once five access routes to the inside of the ferry wreck have been established.
More than four days have passed since the ferry sank, and hopes of finding survivors believed to be trapped inside the wreckage are fading. Experts say that victims could survive for up to 72 hours if there were airbags in the compartments.
On the morning of April 20th, the first funerals were held for the students from Danwon High School. The three students, all 17 years old, were among 325 students on board the Sewol ferry en route from Incheon to Jeju Island on a field trip on April 16th. To date, dozens of students have been confirmed dead, and most of those missing are also students from the same school.
Funerals have also been held for the two teachers.
The vice principal of Danwon High School, who led the students on the ferry, committed suicide on April 18th, reportedly due to the unbearable pressure of being rescued while hundreds of students died or remain missing.
According to VOV
