Two people have been arrested and a boat captain is under investigation after a ferry ran aground on rocks off South Korea’s south-east coast.
All 267 passengers and crew on board the Queen Jenuvia 2 were rescued after it became stuck near the uninhabited island of Jogdo, off the coast of Jangsan Island in Sinan County, on Wednesday. Twenty-seven people sustained minor injuries from the impact of grounding.
The coast guard told the BBC they had arrested the helmsman and the first mate for gross negligence resulting in injuries.
The helmsman initially blamed a steering wheel malfunction, but later admitted he had been on his phone and missed the point at which he was supposed to change course.
The vessel has now docked at a nearby port.
Authorities say they are still investigating the exact cause of the accident.
Some passengers described it in real time on social media.
“There was a loud bang, and then the ship tilted,” one was quoted as saying by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. “An announcement told everyone to put on life jackets, so we’re wearing them and waiting on the top deck.”
The 26,000-tonne ferry was travelling to the port city of Mokpo after departing from the resort island of Jeju, officials said.
The area is near the site where the Sewol ferry sunk in 2014. More than 300 people were killed in that incident, mostly children heading for a school trip.
The salvaged wreck of the Sewol ferry was brought to Mokpo nearly three years later.
Describing Wednesday’s incident, Kim Namhyun, a diving instructor on Jeju Island, told Reuters: “I thought I might die. The sound was too loud.
“But having seen the Sewol ferry, I knew that in situations like this, you have to stay calm, move outside, wear a life jacket, and wait.”
