SEOUL, April 17, /ITAR-TASS/. The search and rescue operation was resumed at dawn inside the South Korean ferry, which ran aground and capsized off the south-western coast of the Korean peninsula on Wednesday.
Coastguards said navy divers and other services continued the search. There were 477 people on board, including 25 crew of the Sewol ferry. A total of 179 people have been rescued and 288 are still missing. The number of casualties has grown to 6, but the authorities fear that the death toll will grow, as passengers could have been trapped inside the sunken ferry.
At night, South Korean naval divers tried to get inside, but strong currents and muddy water in that area of the Yellow Sea prevented them. Dozens of patrol boats and private ships searched through the area during the night, but they failed to find any survivors.