A South Korean passenger ship carrying 267 passengers, crew and cargo ran aground off the southwest tip of the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday. The incident triggered a rescue effort and brought back memories of another major ferry accident in 2014.

The Yonhap News Agency reported that President Lee Jae Myung is currently traveling in the Middle East and has ordered the swift rescue of everyone on board. This will prevent any casualties. Details of the operation will be released as soon as they are available.

The coast guard stated in a press release that authorities were using all resources possible in the rescue effort.

The company said that it did not believe there had been any casualties and that the boat had not taken on water.

RESCUE BOATS ARE DEPLOYED

According to the coastguard, the 26,000-tonne Queen Jenuvia 2 was traveling from Jeju Island towards Mokpo. Seaworld Ferry of Mokpo lists the boat as having a maximum capacity of 1,010 people, and multiple lower decks to accommodate large vehicles or passenger cars.

Unknown to the coast guard, the ferry struck a rock island near Jindo.

Video footage shows passengers in life jackets waiting to be transferred into rescue boats that are approaching the ferry. The bow of the vessel appeared to be stuck on a small island. However, it was upright and passengers seemed calm.

The weather conditions on the scene was described as fair, with light winds.

His office reported that Prime Minister Kim Min Seok ordered the mobilization of all vessels and equipment available to rescue passengers.

THE PREVIOUS SINKING WAS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT IN THIS COUNTRY

In South Korea, the Sewol Ferry disaster of 2014 is still fresh. It was one of the worst disasters of the country, in which over 300 people, mostly children, died. They were on a trip to Jeju.

The Sewol, which was departing from Incheon on the west coast of Korea, sank not far off the island Jindo but nearer the scene of the incident that occurred Wednesday.

The ferry was found to be overloaded and had been illegally modified so that it could carry more cargo than intended. It made a sudden turn and started to list.

The ship sank as the nation watched live on television as it flopped on its side and passengers waited for rescue.

The crew had told the victims to wait in their cabins while they were transported aboard the first Coast Guard vessel to arrive on the scene. Reporting by Heekyong Ya, Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies and Aidan Lewis

(source: Reuters)