South Korea Ferry Disaster Captain's Apology

S Korea Ferry: Final Contact From Doomed Vessel

Updated: 11:59am UK, Friday 18 April 2014

A transcript of communications between the stricken Sewol ferry and the coastguard has lifted the lid on the final minutes before the order was given to abandon ship.

The conversations show panic setting in on board the vessel, with officers asking for help to "please come quickly" as it began to tilt to the left, three hours from its destination of Jeju Island.

The transcript also appears to back up claims that the evacuation order may have come too late for some passengers as officers said the ship was tilting so much it was "impossible to move" to check on them.

The communication, which begins with the first distress call made by the ferry on Wednesday morning, has been translated by The Associated Press.

It reads:

8.55am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of The Sewol?

Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Centre (VTS): Yes, Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Please notify the coastguard. Our ship is in danger. It's listing right now.

8.56am

Jeju VTS: Where's your ship? Yes, got it. We will notify the coastguard.

Sewol: This ship has listed a lot. Can't move. Please come quickly. We're next to Byeongpung Island.

Jeju VTS: Yes, we got it.

8.58am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Do you have reception? Sewol, harbour affairs Jeju.

8.59am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, this is Sewol.

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Channel 21, please.

9.00am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Jeju, Sewol here.

Jeju VTS: What's the current situation?

Sewol: Currently the body of the ship has listed to the left. The containers have listed as well.

Jeju VTS: OK. Any damage of the human life?

Sewol: It's impossible to check right now. The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, OK. Please wear life jackets and prepare as the people might have to abandon ship. 

Sewol: It's hard for people to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, got it.

9.05am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of Sewol?

Jeju VTS: Yes, this is harbour affairs Jeju, Sewol.

Sewol: What's going on with the coastguard?

Jeju VTS: Yes, we have notified the coastguard. Currently we are calling Jindo VTS and Wando VTS. Please hold for a moment.

After this, Jeju VTS notified other ships and Wando VTS.

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Missing Plane Search 'Could Take 5 to 7 Days'

By Nick Martin, News Correspondent, in Perth

Australian officials supervising the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight have said that an underwater search for the black box recorder based on "pings" possibly from the device could be completed in five to seven days.

It comes as search teams say the submarine currently scanning the ocean floor remains "the best lead" in finding the plane.

The US Navy-operated Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has now covered an area of 82 square miles (133 sq km) and has completed six missions.

But its sonar scanners have detected nothing, Sky News understands.

The Bluefin-21 submersible has already carried out six descents

After nearly six weeks without any sign of the plane, the current underwater search has been narrowed to a circular 6.2-mile (10km) area around the location where one of the pings thought to come from the missing flight's black box was detected earlier this month.

The submersible is likely to take up to a week to cover the refined search area.

The Bluefin-21 has now started its seventh descent to the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

It takes two hours for the unmanned submersible to travel more than 4,500m to the seabed where it spends 16 hours at a time using sonar scanners to map the ocean floor. Data is then downloaded at the surface.

The Chinese ship Hai Xin 01 conducts a search in the southern Indian Ocean

No sign of the plane has been picked up, said search officials based in Perth, Australia.

"Overnight, Bluefin-21 AUV completed mission six in the underwater search area. Data from the sixth mission is currently under analysis. No contacts of interest have been found to date," said an official.

"This is the best lead we have in the search for missing flight MH370."

Hishammuddin Hussein, acting Malaysia Transport Minister, told a news conference on Saturday: "The immediate search area that the Bluefin-21 is scouring should be completed within the next week.

"All efforts will be intensified in the next few days in regards to the search."

The underwater hunt is complicated by the depth of the largely unexplored sea floor. The US Navy's unmanned sub has already gone beyond its recommended limit of 4,500 meters (15,000 feet).

Malaysia flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 bound for Beijing. But an hour into the flight it disappeared from radar. There were 239 people on board, mostly Chinese citizens.

Some families of those on board refuse to believe the aircraft crashed into the sea and have instead denounced the search effort as a cover-up.

Up to 11 military aircraft and 12 ships are assisting the search over the long Easter bank holiday weekend. The total search area is 31,000 square miles (50,200 sq km), across three areas.

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Ferry Disaster: Parents Hire Own Rescue Boats

Parents of missing teenagers aboard the stricken ferry off the coast of South Korea have been hiring rescue boats to join the search overnight.

Many relatives stared out to sea, huddled in blankets, sobbing, as hopes their loved ones would be found alive faded.   

Others expressed their anger, claiming that the rescue operation was botched and choosing instead to go searching themselves. 

Nearly 340 of those aboard the Sewol ferry are believed to have been from the same high school near the capital Seoul, on their way to Jeju island for a field trip.

Relatives are angry that the school initially said all had been rescued

Rescue operations went on through the night, under the light of flares, but divers suspended attempts to find survivors inside the submerged ship until daylight.

"My tears have dried up," said a mother in Jindo, a town near the site of the disaster where many families have gathered.

"I am holding on to hope. I hope the government does everything to bring these kids back to their mothers."

At the dockside in Jindo, women sat and stared out at the black, calm sea before them.

The father of one missing child could not bear to wait.

Divers have suspended searches inside the boat until daylight

He and 10 other parents paid 61,000 won (£35) each to hire a boat to take them to the scene, along with a local reporter and a diver.

"There was no rescue operation going on," he said on his return to Jindo.

"We clearly saw there is none. What they were doing at the time was stopping the oil spill. I'm extremely angry.

"The media says the rescue operation is still going on. It's all a lie. It makes me so furious."

Anger was also aimed at the school, which at one point mistakenly announced that all 338 students and teachers on the field trip had been rescued.

Relatives huddled under blankets waiting for news

Adding to the misery, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration initially reported that 368 people had been rescued and that around 100 were missing.

It later described those figures as a miscalculation, turning what had at first appeared to be a largely successful rescue operation into a potentially major disaster.

For many parents, the agonising wait began at Danwon High School in Ansan, a Seoul suburb, where they gathered in the morning after news of the ferry disaster broke.

Park Seong-ho, father of a missing 17-year-old boy, said: "I have to go now.

"It's as if the world is falling apart. I really want to go now to see my son."

Hopes of finding the teenagers alive faded overnight

Jeong Kyung-mi, mother of another 17-year-old from the school, was more fortunate. She received a text message from her son saying he had been rescued.

"When I heard the news, it felt like my heart had stopped beating," she said.

Parents fought their way on to coaches provided to take them to Jindo, where some were reunited with their children.

Survivors there huddled on the floor of a gymnasium, wrapped in blankets and receiving medical aid.

One woman lay on a bed shaking uncontrollably, while a man across the room wailed loudly as he spoke on his mobile phone.

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Ferry Disaster: Hopes Of Finding Survivors Fade

Rescue teams are battling bad weather conditions as they search for around 290 people who remain missing after a South Korean ferry capsized and sank.

Nine people have already been confirmed dead and the death toll is expected to increase sharply in what could be the country's worst maritime accident in two decades.

The dead include a female teacher, a female member of the crew and three male school students.

Many of those on board the ferry were school students

The majority of those who remain unaccounted for are from the same school on a field trip. So far 179 people have been rescued.

A man identified by broadcaster YTN and news agency Yonhap as the ferry's captain has briefly appeared on television, his face covered by a grey hoodie.

"I'm really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said, as he was being questioned at the Mokpo Coast Guard.

Distraught relatives wait for news in a gym on Jindo Island

Video footage has emerged apparently showing passengers in life jackets as the boat began to sink.

Passenger Koo Bon-hee, 36, told reporters many people were trapped inside by windows that were too hard to break.

Grieving family members have gathered on the quay of Jindo Island, huddled in blankets against the cold as they wait for any news.

The ferry got into trouble on its journey to Jeju

"If I could teach myself to dive, I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter," Park Yung-suk told the Reuters news agency.

As coastguard officials arrived for the second day of searching relatives jeered at them, shouting: "The weather's nice, why aren't you starting the rescue."

Strong currents and bad visibility are hampering the search. Twenty divers tried to get inside the wreckage but could not because of the current.

Coast Guard and rescue teams searching for missing passengers

The ship set sail from the port of Incheon on Tuesday carrying 475 passengers, nearly 340 of them teenagers and teachers from the Danwon school near the capital Seoul.

Its destination was Jeju island around 60 miles (100km) south of the Korean peninsula.

It is not clear why the 6,586 tonne vessel, which was built in Japan 20 years ago, sank in apparently calm waters.

However, some survivors spoke of hearing a loud noise before disaster struck.

The captain and crew are being interviewed by authorities.

The registered owner of the ship, Chonghaejin Marine Co Ltd, has offered an apology but declined to comment further.

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Thousands To Miss Out On First Choice School

Thousands of children will miss out on their parents' preferred primary school place in the first National Offer Day.

Emails and letters will be sent to parents across England but increasing pressures on schools mean many will be left disappointed.

Education hotspots Bristol and London will be among the worst affected, with one in five children not being admitted to their school of choice.

"There is a shortage of primary school places throughout the country," said Lydia Gibbs, primary teaching and curriculum lead for the Reach Academy in Feltham, west London.

Last year the school had 160 applications for only 60 primary school places.

"There is a sense of competition that parents would love to have their children come to our school. I know that because we were oversubscribed for reception places," she added.

National Offer Day marks the first time councils across England will co-ordinate offers for primary school places.

Demand is believed to be increasing due to higher birth rates and immigration, with the number of children entering reception classes at primary schools this September among the highest in years.

According to the Local Government Authority some areas - Costessey in Norfolk, Central Croydon and Purfleet in Essex - will see 75% more pupils than school places by next year.

By 2016, councils across England will have to increase school capacity by at least 20% to ensure every child gets a school place.

Parents are now going to greater lengths to secure places at the most popular schools.

A poll by Netmums revealed more than a fifth of those questioned (21.2%) had bought a house closer to their preferred school, with a further 17% renting nearby.

Nearly half had put their children in a nursery linked to a school in an attempt to get their children a place, despite warnings from the schools adjudicator that children should not miss out because the did not attend the right nursery.

The survey also found around one in six (16.2%) parents had started thinking about primary schools when their child was still under one, with a further 9.3% considering it when they were expecting and 6.9% thinking about the issue before they fell pregnant.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said more needs to be done to ensure every child has a school place.

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South Korea: 293 Missing After Ferry Sinks

Almost 300 people are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of South Korea.

Two people have been confirmed dead so far, including a teenager.

The South Korean Coastguard says 164 people have been rescued and 295 remain unaccounted for.

Rescued passengers are brought ashore

The ferry, with 459 people and 150 vehicles on board, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call at 9am local time (1am UK time) on Wednesday morning as it began listing to one side.

Soon afterwards it had completely capsized, with only the front part of its hull visible above the water.

A South Korean government spokesman said 95% of the ferry is now submerged.

The ferry ran into difficulties 60 miles south of the Korean peninsula

There is no indication yet what caused the ship to list and roll onto its side, although one witness told television channel YTN there had been a "loud impact and noise" before it began sinking.

The 325 students on board are from a high school in Ansan, near Seoul, and were on their way to the island for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by officials in Gyeonggi province.

One student, Lim Hyung-min, told YTN he jumped into the ocean wearing a life jacket with other students and then swam to a rescue boat.

95% of the ship is now submerged

"As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," he said, adding some people were bleeding.

He said the ocean was "so cold", adding: "I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

The ship left Incheon port, west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Administration.

More than 470 people were on the ship when it started to sink

It ran into difficulties about 60 miles (100km) south of the Korean peninsula.

A total of 18 helicopters and 34 rescue boats have been sent to the area.

Passenger Kim Seong-mok told YTN he was "certain" people were trapped inside as water quickly rushed into the vessel, and the severe tilt of the ferry stopped them getting out.

Rescued passengers are wrapped in blankets

Some people yelled at those who could not get out, urging them to break windows, he said.

Mr Kim said he felt the ferry tilt and heard it crash into something before the ferry operator made an announcement asking passengers to wait and not move.

One of the dead was found inside the sinking ferry, while the other died soon after arriving at the Mokpo Hankook hospital on the mainland.

More follows...

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Pistorius Accused Of Concocting Evidence

Oscar Pistorius has been accused of concocting his evidence from the witness box to fit the prosecution case.

As he begun his fourth day in the witness box, Pistorius was immediately accused of lying in court as he was cross-examined by prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Mr Nel said: "Today I'm going to prove your version of events is untrue. That you tailored your version, concocted your story.

Pistorius spends his fourth day in the witness box today

"Your version is so improbable that it cannot reasonably possibly be true."

Earlier, Pistorius, 27, was greeted outside the court by supporters with white balloons and Christians, playing and singing music.

One of the supporters clung to his hand for several seconds as he walked into the Pretoria court.  

The athlete is due to answer more questions relating to the night he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29.

His account of the shooting has already been challenged in three days of tough interrogation.

On Friday, Pistorius said Ms Steenkamp did not scream or shout as he grabbed a gun and fired the shots that killed her.

The defendant said he could not explain why she had not shouted out, or screamed.

At one point on Friday the cross examination led an emotional Pistorius to admit he could be giving inconsistent answers because he was tired.

This prompted the judge, Thokozile Masipa, to ask if he was able to continue with his evidence.

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and illegally possessing ammunition in relation to Ms Steenkamp's death.

He also denies two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in separate incidents prior to the killing.

More follows...

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Ukraine Crisis: Surrender Deadline Passes

World leaders have warned of a "dangerous escalation" in the Ukraine crisis as fatal clashes broke out in the east of the country.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York after at least two people were killed and several injured when pro-Russian fighters seized government buildings in the city of Slavyansk.

Armed men that Western leaders claim are Russian forces have set up checkpoints and barricades in six towns in the area.

Ukraine's new government set a deadline of 7am UK time for pro-Russian forces to put down their weapons and leave occupied buildings. The deadline passed with no sign of movement by separatist forces.

Pro-Russian forces detain a man in eastern Ukraine

The UK's ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, told the Security Council Sunday's bloodshed was a "dangerous escalation of an already dangerous situation".

He said satellite images show between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops are massed near the Ukraine border, in addition to the 25,000 "illegally" in Crimea.

Sir Mark said there are increasing signs of Russian involvement in orchestrating the violence.

Burning tyres at a checkpoint in Slaviansk

"We want to use this Security Council meeting to expose that but also warn Russia against using events in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for further military escalation in the region," he said.

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the meeting he is alarmed by Ukraine's announcement of a "full-scale anti-terror operation" to seize back occupied areas.

He denied Western claims that Moscow is behind the violence, and said Kiev has been using neo-Nazi forces to destabilise its eastern region.

Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are among the latest cities to be hit by unrest

"It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine," he said.

"Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on. Enough. That is enough."

He said Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine are "concerned about their future" and "don't want radicals to impose their will on them".

Pro-Russian protesters detain a man in Luhansk

Sky's Hannah Thomas-Peter, outside the UN headquarters, said: "There's more than a little irritation on the part of Western diplomats that Russia, having used its veto position within the Security Council to paralyse that body over any meaningful action on Ukraine, has now decided to call an emergency meeting to put forward its point of view on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

"But unilaterally America is prepared to act. The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power has said that sanctions against Russia are already beginning to bite.

"And the White House is willing to tighten those sanctions and to extend them to include sanctions against sectors like the mining sector, financial and energy sectors."

Hundreds of civilians have come out in support of the activists

European Union foreign ministers are holding talks later today to discuss how to toughen sanctions against Russia without losing the support of EU governments worried about Moscow switching off the gas to Europe.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement: "The Russian Federation is urged to call back its troops from the Ukrainian border and to cease any further actions aimed at destabilising Ukraine."

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