Hope pinned on divers

Tragedies create heroes and heroines and the sinking of the ferry Sewol, off the country’s southwestern coast Wednesday en route to Jeju, is no exception.

Among them, military and civilian divers could deserve the biggest praise as they work around the clock with the hope of saving the almost 300 passengers who remain missing.

Some 500 such divers were mobilized to the site of the tragedy from across the country. Despite strong currents and bad visibility, they continue to take to the cold waters in search of survivors.

Three of the divers were once thought missing Thursday but they were rescued by a nearby fishing ship.

Also notable is 22-year-old Park Ji-young, a crew member, who was found dead after helping students from Danwon High School escape.

On board the vessel between Incheon and Jeju were hundreds of students and teachers from the high school in Ansan, just south of Seoul, who had embarked on a four-day trip to the scenic island of Jeju.

“When the ship began to list, Park distributed life vests to students. I asked why she wasn’t wearing one herself. Then, she said that the crew should attend to others first,” said a 17-year-old female student who survived the incident.

“She said that she would take care of herself only after rescuing all of the passengers. Then, she shouted at the students to leave. That was the last time I saw her.”

A 49-year-old survivor confirmed her heroic actions.

“She was in charge of broadcasting messages onboard. To the last minute, she urged passengers to leave as soon as possible,” he said.

Her heroic efforts contrast sharply with that of other members of the crew including the 69-year-old captain surnamed Lee who jumped from the capsized ship with six other crewmembers before passengers were evacuated.

Lee faces an investigation.

Park entered a university in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province in 2012 but dropped out after the first semester because she had to support her widowed mother and younger sister.

At the recommendation of her cousin, she started to work for Cheonghaejin Marine, the operator of the Sewol.

Fishermen living near the site also made great efforts to save survivors.

As soon as they learned of the catastrophe Wednesday, they sailed their boats to reach the site to pick up passengers floating in the cold waters.

“Our village headman asked us to take part in the rescue work through a broadcast early in the morning. We wasted no time in agreeing to the request,” said a fisherman on Jindo.

The USS Bonhomme Richard is also assisting around the scene of the incident. The 40,500-ton assault ship carries up to 12 helicopters capable of search and rescue operations, and state-of-the-art medical facilities. By Kim Tae-gyu The korea times