Raising of sunken Sewol ferry under way two years later [S. Korea]

[SZonian]

An operation is under way to raise the Sewol ferry which capsized more than two years ago killing 304 people, mostly teenagers, in South Korea.

The raising of the Sewol, which sank on 16 April 2014, has been a central demand of the victims' families.

Many hope the bodies of the nine missing people will be recovered.

The disaster was one of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea in decades, and triggered widespread mourning.

The project, which will cost $73m (£47m), was announced last year by Seoul and is led by a Chinese consortium.


Challenging operation

Preparatory work was completed early on Sunday morning, with the lifting of the bow section- seen as the most challenging part of the operation- to be conducted over two days.

The 6,825-ton ferry lies more than 40 metres (130 feet) beneath the surface of the water, off the south-western island of Jindo.

Officials have said that the main hurdle will be lifting it from the seabed without it breaking up.

"The [lifting of the bow] operation takes up about 70% of the overall salvage project," Jung Seong-Wook, who is acting as a representative for the families of the victims, told AFP.

Once the bow is lifted 18 lifting beams will be placed underneath the ferry.

The Sewol may be raised by late July if the lifting operation goes smoothly, authorities have said.

In April last year, South Korean President Park Geun-hye promised that the vessel would be raised at the earliest opportunity.

The disaster was blamed on a combination of illegal redesigns, the overloading of cargo, the inexperience of the crew member steering the vessel, and lax government regulations.

The Sewol was carrying 476 people when it sank. The passengers included 325 students aged between 16 and 17 who were on a school trip to the holiday island of Jeju.


Pics at link:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36514356

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The Captain failed his passengers and the addition of upper decks to the original design were a major factor in the capsizing.

The Captain was sentenced to life in prison for murder.

[geronl]

Not just the Captain, there was a whole cult thing that was owner of the ferry and a manhunt for the cult leader.

The whole episode sounds like something from a bad novel

[geronl]

It was known as the "Salvation Cult"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/22/the-strange-saga-of-now-dead-billionaire-south-korean-ferry-owner-yoo-byung-un/

The fugitive and alleged owner of the South Korean ferry that sank in April and killed hundreds of children aboard was as mysterious in death as he was in life. The billionaire tycoon Yoo Byung-un founded the Web site God.com, led a church critics considered a cult, was once jailed for fraud, but only recently became internationally known as the focus of the largest manhunt in South Korean history.

Now that search, which once included 9,000 cops and was renewed on Monday, seems to have come to a close. South Korean police announced Tuesday morning they had determined that a previously discovered body, found on June 12, belonged to none other than Yoo Byung-un.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/south-korea-ferry-disaster/billionaires-cult-compound-stormed-south-korea-ferry-case-n128206

Four church members were detained for allegedly providing shelter to Yoo or helping him flee, police said. Another church member was detained for allegedly trying to obstruct the raid.

It was not clear whether Yoo was at the compound at the time of the raid. Police said they were still trying to find and detain more church members for allegedly aiding Yoo.

The compound, the size of about 30 soccer fields, is considered the church's headquarters and thousands of church members gather there for services on weekends.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6e1e194c-e0c0-11e3-a934-00144feabdc0.html#axzz4BVAc5W5F

A nine-day stand-off between South Korean law authorities and members of a religious cult ended peacefully on Wednesday, concluding one of the most bizarre episodes in the aftermath of April’s Sewol ferry disaster.

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There were politicians, entertainers and more connected in some way. Most of them just on the periphery but any link at all was an embarrassment.

http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/65335/eugene-defends-her-church

Singer-turned-actress, Eugene, expressed her frustrations of being rumored as a Saviorist, a group considered a cult.

On May 7, Eugene wrote out a post on her fancafe, saying that she and her church have nothing to do with the recent rumors involving the Saviorist movement.

“Recently, there has been a lot of talk here and there and I’ve been very upset, but I realized that you are all probably even more upset and frustrated,” said Eugene. “I’m not that sensitive to comments, but this incident (?) seems to be spreading and you’re all getting worried, so I decided to write something.”

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So many young people, students, being killed is quite shocking, especially to a small nation like South Korea. 300 is a huge number for a country that could fit between Fort Worth and San Antonio with room to spare.

[geronl]

An even bigger disaster happened in 1995 when the Sampoong department store collapse and killed 502 and injuring a thousand. It was total criminal negligence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong_Department_Store_collapse

It was the worst building collapse (non-terror, non-bomb) since the Roman Empire. (Imagine being responsible for that)

Another complete man-made disaster was using shipping containers for a summer camp in 1999...

Nineteen children and four adults perished, some of the bodies burned beyond recognition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealand_Youth_Training_Center_Fire

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