267 passengers, crew rescued as South Korean ferry runs aground

International

SOUTH Korean authorities confirmed that all 267 passengers and crew aboard a passenger ferry were safely rescued on Wednesday evening after the vessel ran aground off the country’s southeastern coast.

The Coast Guard said the Queen Jenuvia 2 struck a rocky reef near Jangsan Island in Sinan County, leaving the ship immobilized but not in immediate danger of sinking, a report by BBC stated.

Officials reported that the ferry remains lodged on the reef and stable, with no signs of capsizing. However, 27 people sustained minor injuries from the impact. Rescue teams were dispatched quickly, evacuating everyone on board without any serious casualties.

The grounding occurred near the uninhabited island of Jogdo as the vessel traveled from the resort island of Jeju to the port city of Mokpo.

Passengers recounted hearing a thunderous bang before the ship abruptly tilted, prompting crew members to instruct everyone to wear life jackets and move to the upper deck.

Social media posts captured the tense moments following the crash. One passenger told Yonhap News Agency that the atmosphere turned fearful as the vessel listed, though evacuation procedures were implemented swiftly and calmly.

The incident took place in waters not far from the notorious site of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, which claimed more than 300 lives, most of them students on a school trip.(Xienderlyn Trinidad, USJ-R Comm Intern)