- South Korea’s President has assured families of those missing in its ferry disaster that salvage operations would begin only after all likelihood of survivors being trapped inside air pockets it lost.
- This comes after confusion regarding whether or not to let cranes rise the vessel to the surface as it would be fatal to those, if any, trapped inside air pockets.
- Nearly 60 have been confirmed dead while 240, most of which are schoolchildren, are unaccounted for.
- A transcript of communications between Jindo Vessel Traffic Services Center (VTS) and the ferry reveals confusion and indecision regarding whether or not evacuation would be the right option, that it was impossible for people aboard to move and for the crew to broadcast information
- VTS officials said patrol boats would arrive in 10 minutes, but did not mention the presence of a nearby civilian ship. The captain initially ordered passengers to stay in their rooms and took more than half an hour to issue an evacuation order which many passengers never heard.
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/to-raise-ferry-or-hold-out-for-survivors-in-air-pockets/article5932378.ece
Exams Perspective:
- Maritime Security
- Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
- Disaster Management