Posted on 04/16/2014 3:42:16 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday, passenger Kim Sung-Mook was eating breakfast in the ship's main hall when he felt a tilt, he told CNN affiliate YTN.
At first, "we thought it was because of the tide," he said.
The waves had been smooth until the ship suddenly leaned, witnesses said.
The ship tilted further, and an announcement blared through loudspeakers warning passengers that moving would be dangerous.
Then, he heard a loud bang from inside the ship. Kim said he thought a crane on board had toppled over.
When seawater started gushing into the ferry, passengers began to scramble.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Doesn’t sound good, hit a underwater obstruction?
A torpedo wouldn’t have that kind of time line,
unless it was a crappy North Korean one...
Submarine? I hope not a U S one
Everyone rushed to one-side to look at the whales.
I found another article which suggests it hit a rock
Some tweets have said the ferry hit a reef. The sounds heard by the student would fit with that. If so, some astounding incompetence would be indicated. The families have my thoughts and prayers.
It sounds like another one of those “Oriental Save Face” thingys. Ship and plane captains hate to be blamed for faults and would rather take everyone down than survive a big mistake.
ugh! whenever i have been in a "scary" situation, i get the heck out... forget "authority." here they told people to not move, and look what happened to them... on 9/11 the port authority told people not to leave the buildings (Twin Towers) and look what happened...
Whenever there is an accident on a passenger ship, the crew attempts to keep the passengers under control. Apparently someone made an announcement that passengers should remain where they were. The chaperons and the dutiful students obeyed, remained below decks and drowned. The big question is did the person who made that announcement know how badly the ship was damaged and should he had ordered abandon ship. The lost time may have been crucial.
No life rafts? Just stand still and die.
A report on Korean TV SBS today showed the ferry on a different sailing direction instead of the usual and customary one a bit more westerly and further off the coast. Reportedly, the ferry left port at least two hours late suggesting to me the captain may have been trying to make up time by taking a shorter route. Even if this is the case, I would think the nautical charts would’ve shown reef(s) not too far below the surface. I’m presuming this is what happened, i.e., the ferry hit a reef.
My heart goes out to these families. May God hold them in His loving arms and may He comfort and strengthen them in the days and years to come.
I agree with your comment re: the person making the announcement to stay put may not have known the extent of the ship’s damage. I wonder if that person made it off the ship? If so, he/she will surely be carrying a heavy burden.
if he was two hours late, maybe the tides were different enough to make a normally passable spot, too shallow.
“Making up time” is a rough way to die and far, far too common.
In photos I see plenty of inflatable life rafts still in their containers on the top deck. They were unreachable due to the listing of the ship.
Shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday, passenger Kim Sung-Mook was eating breakfast in the ship’s main hall when he felt a tilt,
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Eileen?
It seems like the ship’s crew thought it was time to freeze in place and let everyone drown. Those life rafts are designed to pop out with the pull of a line. They should self-deploy if the boat sinks very rapidly, such as when in a collision with a large vessel. Also, there should be inflatable life vests for all the passengers, should they enter the water; so they can float while paddling towards the life raft.
Saw a report from a trucker who made regular runs on this route. He said they were closer to shore than normal. Seems like she struck a reef or rock.
The loud noises could have been vehicles sliding when the list increased.
This does not seem to be a case of bow or stern gates coming open.
Perhaps so, but I’ve no knowledge on ocean waters. I did hear though, from Korean TV (SBS TV), that converging underwater currents would make it difficult for divers to work at the sinking site.
Yes, it is, for sure.
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