South Korean ferry runs aground, as Sewol ferry disaster memories resurface
All 267 passengers and crew were rescued, but the incident evokes the 2014 tragedy, in which over 300 people died
All 267 people on board a South Korean passenger ferry that ran aground off the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula on Wednesday were rescued, in an incident that revived memories of the major ferry disaster in 2014 in which 300 people died.
Passengers and crew were taken from the stricken vessel, the coastguard said in a statement, and 27 sustained minor injuries.
Most will be transported to the coastal city of Mokpo while 21 crew members will remain on the ship.
A mistake by the captain or a navigating officer might have caused the accident, but the coastguard will conduct a thorough investigation, the organisation’s Commissioner General Kim Yong-jin said.
The 24,000-tonne ferry Queen Jenuvia 2 was travelling from Jeju Island to Mokpo. The boat’s Mokpo-based operator, Seaworld Ferry, lists the vessel as having a capacity of 1,010 passengers, as well as lower decks for large vehicles and passenger cars.