6,800tonne S Korean ferry lifted off sea floor
A 6,800-tonne South Korean ferry was hoisted to the surface on Thursday, nearly three years after it capsized and sank into violent seas off the country’s coast, an emotional moment for the country as it searches for closure to one of its deadliest disasters.
More than 300 people -most of whom were students on a high school trip -- died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, touching off an outpouring of national grief and soul searching.
Workers on two barges began the salvaging operation on Wednesday, rolling up 66 cables connected to a frame of metal beams divers spent months putting beneath the ferry, which had been lying on its side in about 44 metres of water. By 3:45 am, Sewol’s stabiliser surfaced from the water. About an hour later, the blue-andwhite right side of the ship, rusty and scratched and its painted name “SEWOL” no longer visible, emerged for the first time in more than 1,000 days. As of 5pm, the top of the ferry was 8.5 metres above the water’s surface.
The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking. AP