Search team secures access to Sewol decks
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Officials from the National Forensic Service photograph objects presumed to be bone fragments in front of the salvaged Sewol ferry at Mokpo New Port, Monday. / Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
The search for the remains of nine unaccounted for passengers inside the salvaged ferry Sewol is continuing at Mokpo New Port in the southwestern city, a week after it began, April 18.
The search team has secured access to locations on the third and fourth decks. The team is comprised of officials from the Coast Guard, Fire Department, National Forensic Service and Korea Salvage, a local contractor hired by the maritime ministry for the search.
The fourth deck is where Danwon High School boys were located, and expectations are that remains of the missing students and teachers will be found there. There are four students and two teachers of Danwon High School, and three other passengers unaccounted for. Danwon lost 250 students and 11 teachers in the deadly tragedy, which occurred on a school trip to Jeju Island, April 16, 2014.
Search workers are removing mud and other obstructive matter at the secured entrances, using small trowels in order to prevent the breaking of human bones.
At the same time, the team is working to make more openings.
Meanwhile, searches of the seabed where the sunken Sewol lay near Jindo, South Jeolla Province, are also ongoing — 27 zones out of 40 have been searched.
Searches of two special zones where the stern lay will begin once searches of the other zones are complete.
A total of 216 objects were recovered during the salvaging from the vessel and the seabed, and 16 of them have been handed over to the surviving passengers or bereaved family members.
Among them was a suitcase and wallet of a Danwon High School student Baek Seung-hyun, whose body was retrieved 20 days after the sinking occurred.
A Sewol search volunteer uploaded a photo of Baek’s belongings to facebook. The photo showed his student ID card, five 10,000 won bills and packs of contact lenses.
“Seung-hyun’s travel suitcase has been retrieved from the ferry Sewol 1,103 days after he left on the school excursion,” the post said.
“In it were his uniform, clothes, and wallet, which held 50,000 won appearing to be pocket money, which he did not get a chance to spend.”
Along with the objects, a total of 146 bone fragments were also found, but are presumed to be animal bones.