Video by Shim Hyun-chul
The wreck of the ferry Sewol was lifted upright Thursday, clearing the ground for a further search for the remains of still missing victims and an investigation into the root cause of the maritime disaster.
The 6,825-ton vessel carrying 476 passengers capsized off the southwestern coast on April 16, 2014, leaving 304 people ― most of them high school students on a field trip to Jeju Island ― dead. The remains of five victims are still unaccounted for.
The three-hour operation to right the ferry began at 9 a.m. at Mokpo New Port, 410 kilometers southwest of Seoul, using a 10,000-ton-capacity maritime crane from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries manned by salvage workers. Bereaved families watched the rusted hull of the ship placed in an upright position gradually in six steps by raising it by 10 degrees through 94.5 degrees.