What Happened?
A South Korean ship named the MV Sewol full of second-year high school students sinks within hours. Yet, what should have been a quick rescue left 299 dead and 5 missing. What happened on this fateful day?
On April 16, 2014, the Sewol ferry, which was sailing from Incheon to Jeju, sank. The ferry went down at around 8:50 a.m., when Koreans were on their way to work and school. The news shocked the nation, but at first, went back to their daily lives with a sense of relief: The media reported breaking news that all passengers on the ship had been rescued. However, it soon became clear that was false. That day was a disastrous one for Koreans as they careened through complex emotions while scanning the news: astonishment, relief, shock, and sadness.
The Coast Guard and civilian divers alike mobilized for a rescue effort, but they missed the golden time. While many passengers in the slowly sinking ship suffered in the rising water, the public had no choice but to pray and watch. According to news reports, private fishing boats ended up rescuing more passengers than the Coast Guard at the scene, leading many Koreans to question the agency’s efforts.
The final death toll reveals a tragedy: 304 of the 476 passengers were killed; five of the bodies were never recovered. Of the 299 deaths, 250 were second-year high school students. Like so many other students, they went on a school trip to Jeju Island, the most beautiful place in South Korea, in the blue spring of April. They failed to return home.