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| A gym in Jindo, few kilometers distanced from where the accident broke out, is filled with families of the passengers still remaining unaccounted for and staffs of the emergency disaster control center. |
At least nine people were killed, with the fate of 287 others unknown, in the sinking of a South Korean ferry off the country's southwestern coast, officials said early Thursday.
As military divers and other rescuers resumed a desperate search for survivors shortly after noon, two more bodies were recovered, the Coast Guard announced.
The death toll is feared to soar, as search-and-rescue efforts have been hampered by swift currents, low visibility and low temperature.
The 6,825-ton Sewol, heading to the Jeju Island with 475 people on board, capsized after sending a distress call at around 8:58 a.m. Wednesday (Korea time). It completely sank two hours and 20 minutes later.
Passengers include 375 students and 14 teachers from Ansan Danwon High School, who were on a four-day field trip to the island. Among them, 179 have been rescued.
The exact reason for the sinking remains unconfirmed but reports suggest that it might have hit an underwater rock.Rescuers say many of the passengers and crew seem to have been trapped in the vessel. Authorities plan to start working to recover the sunken vessel as early as Friday.
Some text messages sent by students at the time of sinking were made public. "Mom, I am sending this as I may have no chance to say. I love you!" read a message.
Teary families of the missing have been restlessly waiting for follow-up reports at the Paengmok Port in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, the nearest port from where the ship sank.
Immediately after receiving a briefing on the incident, South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered all-out search-and-rescue efforts by relevant authorities, according to her office.
Park was quoted as saying her heart is breaking over what could be one of the worst tragedies in South Korea during peacetime.
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won hurried to Jindo to meet the families of the passengers. He faced a barrage of fierce protests from many families upset about a delay in rescue efforts.
The U.S.Navy's Seventh Fleet also has sent a ship with helicopters on board to join the operation.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government offered its condolences.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those who lost their lives on board the South Korea ferry, the Sewol," Marie Harf, the State Department's deputy spokeswoman, said at the beginning of her daily press briefing in Washington D.C.
The U.S. is ready to provide any necessary assistance, she added.
She noted the U.S. 7th Fleet has also joined the operation.
"The USS Bonhomme Richard has moved to the area to assist the government of South Korea with the search and rescue operations... We are ready to help in any way we can," Harf said.
U.S. media have continued to dispatch headline news on the Sewol. (Yonhap)
