Suspected human bones found inside Sewol

Two bone fragments, possibly of victims of the Sewol ferry disaster, have been found during a search of the ship’s interior, five days after another bone fragment was found underwater, the government said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that search operators found two bones as they searched through Sewol’s fourth floor bedrooms at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

“According to the National Forensic Service’s on-site investigation, (those bones) are presumed to be from humans,” the ministry official said.

Authorities said operators found bones after they cut off parts of the vessel and cleared obstacles to the fourth floor, where some of the missing bodies are expected to be.

But upon the request of the bereaved families, authorities said they would not reveal information about the size of the retrieved fragments or other details.

The bones will be transferred to the National Forensic Service for DNA tests. The results will come out in a month, the ministry said.

On Friday, a 34-centimeter shin bone believed to be from a victim was found in waters off Jindo. Officials said a diver found it during a search of the seabed where the ferry rested for three years after sinking.

As of Wednesday, a total of 1,188 personal belongings, such as school uniforms and bags, and 759 bone fragments had been retrieved.

Meanwhile, the bereaved families pinned hopes on the new administration leading a swift search operation, raising expectations on recovering more remains.

Kim Young-oh, who lost his daughter in the Sewol disaster, said the families have trust in the new president.

“During the campaign, he pledged that he would revive a special investigative body that examined the Sewol ferry disaster. I believe he will keep his promise to support fact finding on the Sewol ferry tragedy,” Kim said during a radio interview with CBS.

In 2014, Moon Jae-in, who became president Wednesday, staged a nine-day hunger strike in Gwanghwamun Square, calling for the passage of the special bill for the Sewol ferry disaster.

“I believe the new president will speed up the search operation of the missing passengers by improving the search method,” said Park Eun-mi, whose daughter is among nine passengers who are still unaccounted for.

Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, off the southwestern coast, while on its way to the southern island of Jeju. A total of 304 people, most of them high school students on an excursion, died in the tragedy.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)