Tragic ferry that capsized killing hundreds of schoolchildren off South Korea is raised - three years after captain abandoned sinking ship without telling passengers to evacuate
Sewol ferry sank off South Korea in April 2014, claiming the lives of 304 people - mostly schoolchildren
The wreck is finally being heaved off the sea floor, with two giant barges lifting the 6,800-ton vessel
Nine bodies are yet to be recovered and family members are watching the operation from nearby ships
The crew, who survived, never issued an order to evacuate the stricken Sewol and the captain was later jailed
By Ollie Gillman For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 01:54 GMT, 23 March 2017 | Updated: 02:04 GMT, 23 March 2017
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A ferry that capsized and sank off the coast of South Korea three years ago, killing hundreds of schoolchildren, has finally been raised from the sea floor.
More than 300 people - most of them children on a school trip - died after the Sewol ferry overturned and sank on April 16, 2014.
A catalogue of errors contributed to the disaster, including the ship being overloaded and the crew being too inexperienced.
Even though the vessel took around three hours to sink, those on board were never ordered to evacuate while the crew escaped to safety.
The 6,800-ton ferry was finally heaved to the surface of the water on Thursday as dozens of still-grieving families watched from a nearby barge.
The Sewol ferry that capsized and sank off the coast of South Korea three years ago, killing hundreds of schoolchildren, has finally been raised from the sea floor
The Sewol ferry that capsized and sank off the coast of South Korea three years ago, killing hundreds of schoolchildren, has finally been raised from the sea floor
More than 300 people - most of them schoolchildren on a trip - died after the Sewol ferry overturned and sank on April 16, 2014. Two barges are seen heaving it from the seabed
More than 300 people - most of them schoolchildren on a trip - died after the Sewol ferry overturned and sank on April 16, 2014. Two barges are seen heaving it from the seabed
Ship wreck: The sunken ferry Sewol is raised during its salvage operations at the sea off Jindo, South Korea
Ship wreck: The sunken ferry Sewol is raised during its salvage operations at the sea off Jindo, South Korea
The 6,800-ton ferry was finally heaved to the surface of the water on Thursday as dozens of still-grieving families watched from a nearby barge
The 6,800-ton ferry was finally heaved to the surface of the water on Thursday as dozens of still-grieving families watched from a nearby barge
A total of 304 people died in the horror sinking but nine bodies are yet to be recovered. It is hoped that the final victims will finally be found as the ship is salvaged. The ship is pictured as it is lifted out of the ocean
A total of 304 people died in the horror sinking but nine bodies are yet to be recovered. It is hoped that the final victims will finally be found as the ship is salvaged. The ship is pictured as it is lifted out of the ocean
A total of 304 people died in the horror sinking but nine bodies are yet to be recovered. It is hoped that the final victims will finally be found as the ship is salvaged. The ship is pictured as it is lifted out of the ocean
A total of 304 people died in the horror sinking.
After hours of tests and preparations, workers on two barges began the salvaging operation on Wednesday night, rolling up 66 cables connected to a frame of metal beams divers spent months putting beneath the ferry, which had been lying on its left side in about 40 metres of water.
By Thursday morning, the right side of Sewol rose above the surface - allowing workers to climb on it and further fasten the ferry to the barges, according to the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
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Salvage crews will load the ferry onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to a mainland port.
The loading process, including emptying the ferry of water and fuel, is expected to take days.
The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking, but nine are still missing.
A family member of a missing passenger onboard sunken ferry Sewol cries as the ship is lifted from the ocean floor