Parents of students on sinking ferry gather to protest

Around 250 parents of students on the Sewol ferry that sank off South Jeolla Province Wednesday staged a protest at Danwon High School, calling for specific information about their children’s safety.

At the high school in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, the parents demanded a list of passengers who had been rescued, following mixed news reports about the rescue operations.

The sunken ferry set off from Incheon, carrying 477 people including 324 students and 14 teachers on a school trip to Jejudo Island. The 6,325-ton Sewol began to sink at around 9 a.m. Wednesday off the coast of Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province.

Officials at the school initially said that all 338 passengers from the school had been rescued, but the Korean Coast Guard has later confirmed that 161 passengers had been rescued as of 11 a.m.

(sys@heraldcorp.com)