# Thoughts and Prayers



## Unkotare (Apr 16, 2014)

For the victims, the missing, and their families. A terrible disaster.

The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - Ferry with 470 Passengers Sinks off Southwest Coast


"A 6,852-ton passenger ship sent distress call in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province on Wednesday morning.

The ferry left Incheon at 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday and was heading to the southern resort island of Jeju, carrying over 470 passengers including 325 youngsters on a school trip."

Take a moment to keep these folks in your thoughts and to hope for more survivors.


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## bianco (Apr 16, 2014)

Indeed.

The cruel sea strikes again.
Ferries, cruise ships sinking everywhere...best to stay out of the oceans.


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## Moon968 (Apr 17, 2014)

These are the good thoughts and should be work on it.


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## waltky (Apr 17, 2014)

Trapped in the hull of ferry, some survivors may still be alive...

*Survivors still alive on South Korean ferry: father*
_Wed Apr 16, 2014 - Several people appear to have survived in an air pocket of a capsized South Korean ferry, the father of one of the school children aboard the boat told a Reuters reporter accompanying families out to the scene of the disaster on Thursday._


> About 290 people are still missing out of 450 passengers on the Sewol ferry, which capsized in still-mysterious circumstances off the Korean peninsula on Wednesday in what could be the country's worst maritime accident in 20 years.  Many of the passengers were school children from one high school on the outskirts of Seoul.  "(The child) told me in the text message, 'I am alive, there are students alive, please save us quickly," the father said.  Coastguard and navy divers resumed searching on Thursday after the ferry capsized in sight of land on a trip from the port city of Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju, about 100 km (60 miles) south of the peninsula.
> 
> Grieving family members gathered early on Thursday on the quay of the coastal city of Jindo, huddled in blankets against the spring cold as efforts to find the missing went into a second day.  One parent, Park Yung-suk, told Reuters she had seen the body of her teenage daughter's teacher brought ashore earlier in the morning.  "If I could teach myself to dive, I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter," Park said as light rain fell.  So far 179 people have been rescued and six confirmed dead.  As coastguard officials arrived at Jindo on Thursday, waiting relatives jeered at them, shouting: "The weather's nice, why aren't you starting the rescue."
> 
> ...


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## CaféAuLait (Apr 17, 2014)

waltky said:


> Trapped in the hull of ferry, some survivors may still be alive...
> 
> *Survivors still alive on South Korean ferry: father*
> _Wed Apr 16, 2014 - Several people appear to have survived in an air pocket of a capsized South Korean ferry, the father of one of the school children aboard the boat told a Reuters reporter accompanying families out to the scene of the disaster on Thursday._
> ...



This is so sad, I'm reading the texts this kids have been texting. One in particular struck me.

He texted a childhood friend, and said "I think we are all dying here, I wanted to apologize to you if I ever hurt you, please for give me.. I love all of you"- not verbatim but close to how I recall it.  

 I just read only one life boat was deployed out of 46 if I recall the number correctly.


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## Sallow (Apr 17, 2014)

My girlfriend just did a trip to Korea and was on that boat going to Jindo Island (My dog is a Jindo).

This is shocking and sad. I only hope they turn up more survivors.


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## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2014)

Abe offers sympathy, help to S Korea over ferry disaster ? Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion


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## emilynghiem (Apr 17, 2014)

Sallow said:


> My girlfriend just did a trip to Korea and was on that boat going to Jindo Island (My dog is a Jindo).
> 
> This is shocking and sad. I only hope they turn up more survivors.



_I hope your avatar isn't your dog!_

My prayers to all the families going through this
in addition to the ones still waiting on the jetliner recovery.

A wise Buddhist once said the more compassion we have and less ill will we circulate,
the fewer disasters we will see, either natural or manmade.

More love, more peace, more unity in spirit.


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## Unkotare (Apr 17, 2014)

emilynghiem said:


> Sallow said:
> 
> 
> > My girlfriend just did a trip to Korea and was on that boat going to Jindo Island (My dog is a Jindo).
> ...




That is definitely not what a Jindo looks like!


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## Book of Jeremiah (Apr 17, 2014)

My prayers go out to all the families.  I pray they find more survivors.


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## waltky (Apr 17, 2014)

Ferry-boat captain apologizes...

*Questions mount in South Korean ferry disaster; hundreds still missing*
_Thu April 17, 2014 ~  Coast Guard: The official death toll now stands at 25 people; Captain faces questions amid reports ferry may have been off course, turned quickly; Authorities are working on the assumption that survivors are still in the ship, police chief says; But bad weather, murky water and darkness have hindered the rescue operation_


> Anguished relatives of missing South Korean ferry passengers waited for answers Thursday as rescuers fought bad weather, murky water, darkness and time to find a way deep into the capsized ship.  Authorities believe 276 people -- many of them high school students on a field trip -- may remain trapped inside the five-story ship. At least some, authorities say, could still be alive more than a day after the ship rolled over.  Meanwhile, the ferry's captain is facing mounting questions about the incident.
> 
> Among other things, authorities are investigating the possibility the ship was off course when it ran into trouble, reports that few of its lifeboats made it into the water and reports that the captain was among the first to escape, according to Kim Soo Hyeon, the chief of South Korea's Yellow Sea Maritime Police Agency.  "After further investigation, when we have a result, we will make a report," Kim said.
> 
> ...


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## bianco (Apr 17, 2014)

emilynghiem said:


> Sallow said:
> 
> 
> > My girlfriend just did a trip to Korea and was on that boat going to Jindo Island (My dog is a Jindo).
> ...




Tried that, it didn't work out;

London was blown up
NYC was blown up, twice
Boston was blown up
Bali Indonesia was blown up twice
Madrid was blown up

...and anti-Western/anti-Christian hate preachers were basically allowed to say and do whatever they liked.


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## waltky (Apr 18, 2014)

Race against elements and time...

*Divers struggle in search for South Korean ferry survivors*
_Thu Apr 17, 2014  - Rescuers struggled with strong waves and murky waters on Thursday as they searched for hundreds of people, most of them teenagers from the same school, still missing after a South Korean ferry capsized on Wednesday._


> Coastguard, navy and private divers scoured the site of the accident, about 20 km (12 miles) off the country's southwestern coast.  Earlier, rescue teams hammered on the hull of the upturned, mostly submerged vessel, hoping for a response from anyone trapped inside, but they heard nothing, local media reported.
> 
> The vessel, carrying 475 passengers and crew, capsized during a journey from the port of Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju.  Coastguards recovered five more bodies late on Thursday, raising the death toll to 14 people. Another 179 passengers have been rescued, leaving 282 unaccounted for and possibly trapped in the vessel.
> 
> ...


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## Unkotare (Apr 18, 2014)

Captain of the ferry to be arrested.  Vice Principal of the school many of the victims attended commits suicide. 

Just keeps becoming more and more tragic.


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## Moonglow (Apr 18, 2014)

survivors guilt,,,


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## waltky (Apr 19, 2014)

Novice 'steered South Korea ferry'...

*South Korea ferry 'steered by inexperienced third mate'*
_9 April 2014 ~ 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
> 
> ...



See also:

*Ferry Pilot Was Negotiating Perilous Waterway for First Time, Prosecutors Say*
_APRIL 19, 2014   A 26-year-old third mate was steering a South Korean ferry through a notoriously treacherous waterway for the first time when it tilted and sank, prosecutors said on Saturday, as rescuers raced against time to find any survivors among the 266 missing passengers, many of them believed to have been trapped inside the capsized vessel._


> Questions about the qualifications of the third mate, Park Han-gyeol, mounted on Saturday, after investigators revealed that the ships captain, Lee Jun-seok, 69, was in his quarters, leaving Ms. Park in charge of the bridge when the ferry was negotiating the waterway 11 miles from Jindo Island.  For ages, the 3.7-mile-long, 2.8-mile-wide Maenggol Waterway has provided a shortcut for ships that try to save fuel or time navigating waters dotted with islets off the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula. But the channel also has a reputation for having one of the most rapid and unpredictable currents around the peninsula.  It was her first time steering the ship through the Maenggol Waterway, said Yang Joong-jin, a senior prosecutor who is part of the governments investigation. There is nothing legally wrong with that. But it does give us important data on how well qualified she was.  Ms. Park ended up in command of the ship by chance.
> 
> The three regular mates on the 6,825-ton car ferry, the Sewol, worked on a fixed rotation of four-hour shifts, with Ms. Park on duty at the bridge from 8 a.m. to noon. The ship had been scheduled to leave Incheon, a port west of Seoul, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday with 476 people on board, including 325 second-year high school students headed for a field trip on the southern island of Jeju. Ms. Park had been working aboard the ferry on the Incheon-Jeju route for six months.  But the ships departure was delayed by two and a half hours because of heavy fog. Had it left on time, the ship would have passed the spot where it foundered and sank half an hour before Ms. Parks shift was to have started.  Ms. Park was unavailable for comment. She was arrested Saturday, along with the captain and a helmsman who was also on duty with Ms. Park. They face criminal charges of abandoning their ship and passengers during a crisis, accidental homicide, or both.
> 
> ...


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## Vikrant (Apr 19, 2014)

My prayers are with the victims.


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## waltky (Apr 20, 2014)

Bridge black box found...

*Transcript reveals confusion over ferry evacuation*
_20 Apr.`14  The South Korean ferry that sank was crippled by confusion and indecision well after it began listing, a radio transcript released Sunday showed, suggesting the chaotic situation may have added to a death toll that could eventually exceed 300._


> About 30 minutes after the Sewol began tilting, a crew member asked a marine traffic controller whether passengers would be rescued if they abandoned ship off South Korea's southern coast. The crew member posed the question three times in succession.  That followed several statements from the ship that people aboard could not move and another in which someone declared that it was "impossible to broadcast" instructions.
> 
> Many people followed the captain's initial order to stay below deck, where it is feared they remain trapped. Sixty-one bodies have been recovered, and about 240 people are still missing.  "Even if it's impossible to broadcast, please go out and let the passengers wear life jackets and put on more clothing," an unidentified official at Jindo Vessel Traffic Services Center urged at 9:24 a.m. Wednesday, 29 minutes after the ferry first reported trouble, according to the transcript released by South Korea's coast guard.  "If this ferry evacuates passengers, will you be able to rescue them?" the unidentified crew member asked.  "At least make them wear life rings and make them escape!" the traffic-center official responded.  "If this ferry evacuates passengers, will they be rescued right away?" the crew member asked again.  "Don't let them go bare  at least make them wear life rings and make them escape!" the traffic official repeated. "The rescue of human lives from the Sewol ferry ... the captain should make his own decision and evacuate them. We don't know the situation very well. The captain should make the final decision and decide whether you're going to evacuate passengers or not."  "I'm not talking about that," the crew member said. "I asked, if they evacuate now, can they be rescued right away?"
> 
> ...



See also:

*Transcript: Passengers couldn't escape South Korean ferry, crew member says*
_Sun April 20, 2014 ~  At least 62 bodies have been found, the coast guard says; 240 people are still missing; 174 have been rescued; Searcher to CNN affiliate: Divers are feeling their way in the dark; State of emergency declared in two cities affected by the tragedy_


> Passengers aboard the doomed South Korean ferry couldn't reach lifeboats to escape because the ship tilted so quickly that it left many of them unable to move, according to a radio transcript released Sunday.  "Please notify the coast guard. Our ship is in danger. The ship is rolling right now," a crew member on the ship first tells authorities in a dramatic conversation that took place while the Sewol ferry was sinking.
> 
> An unidentified crew member on the Sewol talked to two different Vessel Traffic Service centers as the ship sank Wednesday morning, the transcript revealed. Someone on the ship contacted the traffic service in Jeju -- the ferry's destination -- at 8:55 a.m. and communicated with it before the conversation switched to Jindo VTS, which was closer, about 11 minutes later.  "The ship rolled over a lot right now. Cannot move. Please come quickly," the crew member says a minute after initial contact.
> 
> ...


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## AquaAthena (Apr 20, 2014)




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## Pop23 (Apr 20, 2014)

Deeply sad

So many young souls lost

Watching the parents waiting and knowing that every moment is a moment closer to knowing they'll not hug them again. Hugged my kids extra hard today.


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## AquaAthena (Apr 20, 2014)

Pop23 said:


> Deeply sad
> 
> So many young souls lost
> 
> Watching the parents waiting and knowing that every moment is a moment closer to knowing they'll not hug them again. Hugged my kids extra hard today.



It is, isn't it Pop?  I think of the Titanic, in comparison to the people going slowly down to meet their demise, having terror and fear to cope with while every moment, in hope for rescuers. The struggle with the gripping terror and ultimately, their last little breaths. Poor little lost and beautiful souls, gone forever, leaving loved ones to grasp and sort out the reality of it all, and what and how, they will deal with it the rest of their lives.


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## waltky (Apr 21, 2014)

President Park condemns ferry captain & crew...

*South Korean president condemns ferry captain, crew*
_April 21, 2014 ~ As the death toll from a sunken ferry continued to mount Monday, South Korean President Park Geun Hye blasted the captain and some crew members Monday for committing "unforgivable, murderous behavior" in the disaster, which left more than 300 people dead or missing._


> As the official death toll rose to 86, divers finally made their way to a main dining hall of the submerged ferry, where they feared they may find the bodies of many of the 210 passengers still missing.  Most of those unaccounted for are students from Darwon High School in Ansan, near Seoul, who were on a school trip to the southern tourist island of Jeju.  The 68-year-old captain, Lee Joon-seok, and two crew members  a helmsman and a 25-year-old third mate  were arrested last week on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need.  The third mate was steering at the time of the accident Wednesday in a challenging area where she had not steered before. The captain was not on the bridge at the time.  Four other crew members have been detained, and prosecutors say they are weighing possible arrest warrants for two more.
> 
> The captain, who was one of the first people rescued from the ferry, initially told passengers to stay in their rooms and waited more than half an hour to issue an evacuation order. By then, the vessel had listed so far that many of the people most likely were unable to escape.  "What the captain and part of the crew did is unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense -- unforgivable, murderous behavior," Park said at a Cabinet briefing Monday. The comments were posted on the website of the presidential Blue House.  Instead of following a marine traffic controller's instructions to "make the passengers escape," Park said, the captain "told the passengers to stay put while they themselves became the first to escape."  "Legally and ethically," the president said, "this is an unimaginable act."
> 
> ...



See also:

*Prosecutor says 4 ferry crewmembers detained*
_21 Apr.`14  A South Korean prosecutor says four more crewmembers from a sunken ferry have been detained on allegations of failing to protect passengers._


> Senior prosecutor Ahn Sang-don told reporters Monday that two first mates, one second mate and a chief engineer are also accused of abandoning the ship.
> 
> Ahn says prosecutors are considering whether to ask a court for a formal arrest warrant that would allow for a longer period of investigation. South Koreans can only be detained for 48 hours without a court-issued formal arrest warrant.
> 
> ...


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## bianco (Apr 21, 2014)

President Park must put measures in place to make sure something like this never happens again...even if that means employing foreigners to run the ferry/transport system, and foreign captains and crews to sail these ferries.
Seems to me that lower and wider ferries are needed.
Also ferry trips cancelled in bad weather.

Korea is building giant ships for the rest of the world...time it built itself some unflippable and unsinkable ferries.

Also, ban all school excursions.
If the students had all stayed at school they'd still be alive today.


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## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2014)

bianco said:


> President Park must put measures in place to make sure something like this never happens again...even if that means employing foreigners to run the ferry/transport system, and foreign captains and crews to sail these ferries.
> Seems to me that lower and wider ferries are needed.
> Also ferry trips cancelled in bad weather.
> 
> ...





You're a fucking moron. You really are. Koreans were navigating those waters for a thousand years before your ancestors were ever sent to that penal colony of yours to cook shrimp on the barbie, asshole. YOU couldn't navigate a bathtub without hurting yourself. Everything you post is - purposefully - offensive. Discussion of this tragedy is NOT the fucking venue for you to play games with your thinly veiled 'hate everything Asian' agenda, douchebag.


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## bianco (Apr 21, 2014)

Unkotare said:


> bianco said:
> 
> 
> > President Park must put measures in place to make sure something like this never happens again...even if that means employing foreigners to run the ferry/transport system, and foreign captains and crews to sail these ferries.
> ...



*Discussion of the tragedy,* exactly.

Surely you don't want a repeat of this tragedy.

Koreans might've been navigating these waters for a thousand years, but now this has happened ...and things must change.


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## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2014)

bianco said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > bianco said:
> ...





There is absolutely nothing on this earth that "must" happen because a little nobody like you says so. Get that through your Foster's fog, Dundee. What you are really doing here is completely transparent and completely offensive.


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## bianco (Apr 21, 2014)

Unkotare said:


> bianco said:
> 
> 
> > Unkotare said:
> ...



Says you.
Just because you say it doesn't make it true.

Fosters?
You're living in the past.
Anyway, I don't drink alcohol these days, and never have drunk beer, so I'm perfectly sober and see things very clearly all the time.

The current system you seem to love so much;

South Korean ferry: captain was not at the helm, investigators say | World news | theguardian.com

_The captain of the South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday was not at the helm of the vessel when it capsized, investigators said on Friday as hopes dimmed for almost 300 passengers still trapped inside. 

Officials said a junior officer was steering the ship when the accident occurred, adding that Lee, who has been criticised for apparently jumping into a rescue boat while hundreds of his passengers remained aboard, may have been in another part of the vessel.

"He [the captain] may have been off the bridge,&#8220; Park Jae-eok, an investigating official, told reporters in Mokpo, a city near the port from where the rescue operation is being directed. &#8220;And the person at the helm at the time was the third officer.&#8221;

Family members of missing passengers wait for news in Jindo on Friday. Photograph: Kim Kyung-hoon/Reuters _

______________________________________________________
***********************************************

http://www.timesofisrael.com/captain-was-not-at-helm-of-capsized-ferry-investigators-say/ 

_In an appeal broadcast live on television Friday morning, *a self-appointed spokesman for the relatives accused the authorities of indifference and deception.*

&#8220;The government lied yesterday,&#8221; he said, speaking at a podium in a gymnasium on Jindo island where hundreds of blanket-wrapped relatives have been sleeping on the floor since the tragedy unfolded.

Disputing the official figures of hundreds of divers, vessels and aircraft being deployed, he said he and other relatives had visited the rescue site and seen only a dozen ships and helicopters.

&#8220;Everyone, is this the reality of South Korea? We plead once more, please save our children,&#8221; he said.

**

Some experts believe such a tight turn could have dislodged the heavy cargo manifest &#8212; including more than 150 vehicles &#8212; and destabilized the vessel, causing it to list heavily and then capsize.

As well as the cause of the disaster, *investigators will be looking at why passengers were ordered to stay in their cabins and seats for up to 40 minutes after the ferry ran into trouble. *_

#####

Cargo ferries  for cargo only...and passenger ferries for passengers only...no more ferries like this one allowed.
That should be a new law.
Concorde is not flying anymore...some things just aren't successful.


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## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2014)

bianco said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > bianco said:
> ...




Fuck you, scumbag. You are playing little games over the lives of hundreds of children for the sake of your 'Hate Everything Asian' agenda. LIVES. You are the fucking lowest of the low. Fuck off, asshole.


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## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2014)

bianco said:


> Cargo ferries  for cargo only...and passenger ferries for passengers only...no more ferries like this one allowed.
> That should be a new law.




You are an absolute idiot. You don't even understand what a ferry is. Do yourself a favor and STFU once in a while.


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## Unkotare (Apr 21, 2014)

bianco said:


> The current system you seem to love so much;




This wasn't a case of a "system," you idiot. It was a case of criminal neglect. You're a hopeless moron.


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## bianco (Apr 22, 2014)

Unkotare said:


> bianco said:
> 
> 
> > Cargo ferries  for cargo only...and passenger ferries for passengers only...no more ferries like this one allowed.
> ...


.

Oh yes I dooo!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skQeGxFnyCA [/ame]


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv7iOuYwHi0 [/ame]


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## waltky (Apr 23, 2014)

Bodies startin' to smell...

*South Korea ferry toll hits 156 as search gets tougher*
_Wednesday, April 23, 2014   As the 156th body was pulled from waters where the ferry Sewol sank a week ago, relatives of the nearly 150 still missing pressed the government Wednesday to finish the grim task of recovery soon. But the work was reaching a new, more complicated phase, with an official saying divers must now rip through cabin walls to retrieve more victims._


> Looming in the background is a sensitive issue: When to bring in the cranes and begin the salvage effort by cutting up and raising the submerged vessel. The government has warned that the work might eliminate air pockets that could be sustaining survivors, but for some relatives that is a long-lost hope.  "Now we think we have to deal with this realistically," said Pyun Yong-gi, whose 17-year-old daughter is among the missing.  "We don't want the bodies to decay further, so we want them to pull out the bodies as quickly as they can," Pyun said on Jindo island, where recovered bodies are taken for families to identify.
> 
> That view is not shared among all relatives of the missing, however. One of them, Jang Jong-ryul, was sensitive about the mere mention of the word "salvage" and said most families don't want to think about it.  The number of corpses recovered has risen sharply since the weekend, when divers battling strong currents and low visibility were finally able to enter the submerged vessel. But Koh Myung-seok, spokesman for the government-wide emergency task force, said the work is becoming more difficult, and divers must now break through cabin walls.  "The lounge is one big open space, so once in it we got our search done straight away. But in the case of the cabins, we will have to break down the walls in between because they are all compartments," Koh said.
> 
> ...


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## waltky (Apr 26, 2014)

Is a sad time for So. Korea...

*Ferry disaster's toll on South Korea's national psyche*
_Sat April 26, 2014 ~ Thousands pay their respects at a memorial in Ansan; Even those without a connection to the disaster are heartbroken; Yellow ribbons have become a symbol of mourning_


> The middle-aged man stands in line, patiently waiting. He's wearing the de facto uniform of the Seoul businessman, a fitted black suit and thin tie. He's driven an hour to be here at the memorial site at Ansan, joining the 100,000 mourners paying their respects before the school portraits of children who will never grow old.  "I'm a father of two kids," he weeps, his hand firmly over his chest, as if to press in a breaking heart. "I just am very sorry because I can do nothing for these families. I just want to come here to say I'm very sorry to these families."  He knew no one aboard the Sewol ferry -- his life in Seoul should be blissfully separate from the unfolding disaster at sea. But he embodies the grief, guilt and anger that leaves virtually no one in South Korea untouched.
> 
> Nation in yellow
> 
> ...



See also:

*Boy who raised alarm on doomed Korean ferry had no time to call parents*
_Sat Apr 26, 2014 - The frightened boy who first raised the alarm that a South Korean ferry with hundreds on board was sinking did not have time to call his parents, his father said, and was found dead not wearing a life jacket._


> The boy, with the family name of Choi, called the emergency 119 number which put him through to the fire service, which in turn forwarded him to the coastguard two minutes later. That was followed by about 20 other calls from children to the emergency number, a fire service officer told Reuters.  The Sewol ferry sank on April 16 on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon to the traditional holiday island of Jeju.
> 
> More than 300 people, most of them students and teachers from one high school on a field trip, have died or are missing and presumed dead. The children were told to stay put in their cabins, where they waited for further orders.  They paid for their obedience with their lives. The confirmed death toll on Saturday was 187.
> 
> ...


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## waltky (May 1, 2014)

Trapped in the hull tryin' to break out windows to escape...

*HEARTBREAKING VIDEO SHOWS TEENS ON SINKING FERRY*
_May 1,`14 -- Soon after the ferry began to tilt, there was nervous laughter, jokes about the Titanic and talk of selfies and Facebook posts from the doomed high school students huddled below deck._


> But the lighthearted atmosphere soon turned serious as the listing worsened. Fear began building, and one student asked, "Am I really going to die?"  The shaky video ( HTTP://APNE.WS/R7IRBX ) - at times poignant and heartbreaking as the teens said last words to their loved ones - was found on the cellphone belonging to 17-year-old Park Su-hyeon when his body was recovered after the disaster on the morning of April 16 off South Korea.
> 
> The boy's father, Park Jong-dae, provided it Thursday to The Associated Press, saying he wanted to show the world the conditions aboard the Sewol as it sank. He earlier released it to select South Korean media. Information such as video can be recovered from micro SD cards in cellphones even if the device is submerged.  More than 300 people are dead or missing in the disaster, which has plunged South Korea into mourning and touched off anger and shame. About 220 bodies, mostly from inside the submerged vessel, have been recovered. More than 80 percent of the victims were students from a high school in Ansan, south of Seoul, on their way to the tourist island of Jeju for a school trip.
> 
> ...



See also:

*SUBMERGED CELLPHONE CAN STILL YIELD VIDEO*
_May 1,`14 A cellphone recovered from one of the victims of the ferry that sank off South Korea last month has yielded video shot aboard the vessel, raising questions about how such images could still be found on an electronic device after being submerged._


> It s possible the video was stored on a micro SD card that many phones use for additional storage, said Ritch Blasi, senior vice president for mobile and wireless at the consulting firm Comunicano.  Since an SD card doesn't contain electrical components or moving parts, it can be removed from a mobile device and the information stored on it can be retrieved -even if the phone that housed it is damaged.
> 
> In fact, SanDisk, a major maker of micro SD cards, touts that many of its cards are tested to withstand up to 72 hours in one meter of salt or fresh water.  In addition, phones can be programmed to automatically upload material such as photos and videos periodically to cloud storage, where other people can retrieve them later, Blasi said.
> 
> http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-01-17-02-28


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## waltky (May 3, 2014)

More dead bodies found...

*Death Toll Rises To 236 In South Korean Ferry Sinking Disaster*
_May 3`14 -- Death toll in a South Korean ferry sinking disaster continued to rise to 236 on Saturday as rescue operations were carried out despite rapid currents and floating objects._


> According to China's Xinhua news agency, as of Saturday evening, 236 people have been confirmed dead as eight more bodies were recovered from the sunken vessel. The number of missing passengers fell to 66, with those rescued remaining unchanged at 174.  The deadly disaster entered the 18th day since the 6,825-tonne ferry Sewol capsized off the country's southwestern coast on April 16.
> 
> Among 64 passenger cabins where bodies were believed to be trapped inside, 58 cabins have been searched. The remaining cabins were hard to enter as floating objects such as furniture and junks delayed divers' entrance into the rooms.  The area is famous for the second-fastest tidal currents in the country. Divers sought to plunge into waters when the currents became slower.
> 
> ...


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## waltky (May 7, 2014)

Diver dies at So. Korea ferry disaster site...

*Frogman dies working at S Korea ferry disaster site*
_Wed, May 07, 2014 - A diver died yesterday while working at a ferry disaster site in South Korea as further details emerged about how deception and negligence contributed to the April 16 tragedy._


> The 53-year-old was on his first dive at the site and suffered breathing difficulties after reaching a depth of 25m, coast guard spokesman Ko Myung-suk told journalists.  The diver, who was identified only by his surname, Lee, lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at hospital, Ko added.  Full details of what happened have yet to emerge, but Yonhap news agency reported he was a veteran crew member of private firm Undine Marine Industries, a specialist in maritime rescue work.  Lee was the first victim among scores of divers who have been engaged in the grim task of finding and retrieving bodies from the sunken ship in hazardous and challenging conditions, such as fast currents and silty water. About 10 other divers have received treatment for exhaustion and decompression sickness since the operation began.
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> It had been 20 days since the 6,825 tonne Sewol capsized and sank with 476 people on board  most of them schoolchildren  off the southern coast.  South Korean President Park Geun-hye yesterday issued a fresh apology for her governments failure to prevent the tragedy. The confirmed death toll stood at 263, while 39 people remain missing.  As the president who should protect the lives of the people, I dont know how to express my condolences to the bereaved families. I feel sorry and my heart is heavy with grief, Park said. Greed for material gains prevailed over safety regulations and such irresponsible behavior resulted in the loss of precious lives.  Park had apologized for her governments failure to combat systemic and regulatory evils that may have contributed to the accident and vowed to sternly punish any culprits.  The ferry sinking is one of South Koreas worst peacetime disasters, made all the more shocking by the loss of so many young lives.
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## waltky (May 30, 2014)

Another diver dies at So. Korean sunken ferry site...

*2nd diver dies in search of South Korean ferry*
_30 May`14   A civilian diver died Friday during the search for people still believed trapped inside a sunken South Korean ferry, the second diver's death in the six-week operation._


> Government and civilian divers were mobilized after the ferry sank on April 16, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing.  A boom and a moan were heard via communication devices then fellow divers pulled the man to the surface as he fell unconscious, government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok told a televised briefing.
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> The diver was bleeding on his face, received CPR and was taken to a hospital on a helicopter but was declared dead there, Ko said. The man whose surname was Lee was 46. His exact cause of his death wasn't known.  Ko said Lee was cutting open parts of the ship exterior to make searches easier. No bodies have been retrieved since May 21 as heavy objects like desks and cabinets have made it difficult for divers to navigate through unsearched parts of the ship, according to task force officials.
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## waltky (Jun 1, 2014)

Mebbe there should be a UN court for situations like this...

*CAN SOUTH KOREA CONDUCT FAIR TRIAL OF FERRY CREW?*
_Jun 1,`14  -- Less than two months after the ferry Sewol sank, court proceedings over the disaster are set to begin for 15 crew members over the disaster - four of them for homicide. The job of defending them falls almost entirely on six state-appointed lawyers, three of whom started practicing law only this year._


> The defendants are surrounded by hostility in South Korea, all the way up to President Park Geun-hye, who has called the crew's actions murderous. Private lawyers have abandoned their cases. Even the family of a deceased crew member who was praised as a hero speaks of him with shame.  The anger raises questions about the fairness of the crew members' impending trial, details of which will be worked out at a June 10 court hearing in Gwangju. All surviving crew members responsible for the ship's navigation have been charged with negligence and with failing to do their duty to protect passengers in the April 16 disaster.  Authorities have recovered 288 bodies and continue to look for 16 others in the wrecked ship off South Korea's southwestern coast.
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> There are allegations that the ferry operator, Chonghaejin Marine Co., dangerously overloaded the vessel and gave crew members inadequate emergency training, and some company officials also have been arrested. But they may be better able to defend themselves than the crew. The fugitive head of Chonghaejin, Yoo Byung-eun, is a billionaire. The Sewol's captain, Lee Joon-seok, reportedly made 2.7 million won ($2,635) a month.  And it is the crew members, not the company higher-ups, who appeared in widely televised "perp walks" in the first weeks of the disaster, when fury was at its highest.  "People say this is a public opinion trial. To put it in other words, it is a witch trial," said Kang Jung-min, a lawyer who met the captain and two crew of the Sewol while they were in custody in April. "It is possible that rulings would correspond with public sentiment, rather than judgments based on objective facts and legal principles."
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## waltky (Oct 28, 2014)

Dang me, dang me - dey oughta take a rope an' hang me...

*South Korea seeks death penalty for ferry captain*
_October 27, 2014 — South Korean prosecutors on Monday demanded the death penalty for the captain of a ferry that sank in April, killing more than 300 people, and life sentences to three key crewmembers, news reports said._


> Prosecutors also requested that a district court sentence 11 other crewmembers up to 30 years in prison on charges that they were negligent and failed to protect passengers when the ferry was sinking April 16, South Korean media reported. Most of those who died in the disaster were high school students on a school trip.  Capt. Lee Joon-seok and three other crewmembers from the ferry Sewol were indicted on homicide charges, alleging they were negligent and failed to protect passengers when the ferry sank. Eleven other crewmembers were indicted on less serious charges. The 15 crew on trial were among the first group of people to leave when the ship began badly listing.
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