South Korea Diver Dies During Sunken Ferry Search

A South Korean diver has reportedly died during the sunken ferry searches off the southern coast where the ferry Sweol sank on April 16th. According to USA Today, the diver was a civilian diver involved in the searches for those still missing from the sunken ferry.

Government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok said the diver, who is only being identified as a 53-year-old individual, died at a hospital Tuesday after reportedly becoming unconscious during the search efforts. According to a report by ABC News, other task force team officials are saying that the diver was pulled to the surface by fellow divers after losing communication with the 52-year-old individual.

According to NBC News, the Sewol carried a total of 476 people, most of which were students from a single high school. Only 174 people are said to have survived the disaster, leaving 260 people dead and another 40 or so are still reportedly missing.

The sunken ferry disaster took place nearly three weeks ago, and search efforts have not yet ceased. In recent days, divers reportedly have been working their way into the last three unopened rooms, “next to a snack bar on the ferry’s third flood” according to Ko. He continued on to say that they don’t expect to find any bodies in those rooms because they reportedly weren’t assigned to any of the high school students who made up the majority of the ferry’s passengers.

According to an earlier report by The Inquisitr, arrests have been made in the case of the South Korean sunken ferry disaster. NBC News has reported that a total of 19 individuals have been arrested, 15 of which were crew members accused of abandoning passengers. The Inquisitr stated that of those arrested, one of them was the captain of the ferry, Lee Joon-seok.

President Park Geun-hye reportedly was calling for stern punishments for those “responsible for the disaster,” claiming that the decision of some crew members to abandon the ship was “like a murderous act that can never be understood or forgiven.”

“They escaped first, abandoning the passengers while asking them to stay put,” said President Park Geun-hye. “Legally and morally speaking, this is something one cannot even imagine.”

Search efforts for the remaining bodies have been complicated by difficult weather conditions along with dark surroundings within and surrounding the sunken ferry. NBC News stated that “darkness, floating debris and the maze of corridors and cabins on board have made the search difficult.”

Stay with The Inquisitr as more information becomes available regarding the South Korean sunken ferry.

[Image by jinjoo2713 via Wikimedia Commons]