Bone found near site of ferry sinking confirmed as missing teacher

This photo taken on May 11, 2017, shows workers searching through the wreckage of the Sewol ferry at the port of Mokpo in southwest South Korea. / Yonhap

A bone fragment found near the site of a deadly ferry sinking was confirmed to be that of a teacher who was missing from the 2014 disaster, officials said Wednesday.

The 34-centimeter bone underwent DNA testing after it was found on the country's southwestern coast near Jindo Island earlier this month.

The 6,800-ton Sewol ferry sank off near the island in April 2014, claiming the lives of 304 people, mostly high school students on a school excursion.

The hull was raised from the bottom of the sea and put into dry dock at a local port in Mokpo, some 410 kilometers south of Seoul, last month. The bodies of nine people, including four students and two teachers, have not been found. (Yonhap)