Still 287 Missing off South Korean Coast Hours after Ferry Sinks

Aimee Herd : Apr 16, 2014
News Staff –CNN

UPDATE:4/17-7AM PT CNN Reports: More than 24 hours have passed since the 6,800-ton ferry sank Wednesday morning. Rescue crews continue search for missing. Nine people are dead. At least 179 have been rescued.

But no one knows whether the missing 287 are alive, perhaps on the ship, or if they succumbed to water that's about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit.)

The captain of the ferry broke down in tears when asked if he had anything to say to the missing passengers' families.

"I am sorry, I am at a loss for words," captain Lee Joon Suk said, his head and face covered. Lee faces possible charges of negligence and accidental homicide. No one knows exactly why the ship sank.

(South Korea)—According to a FOX News report, at least 4 people are dead, and 284 still missing hours following the sinking of a multi-story passenger ferry off the coast of South Korea—dozens more have been reported injured. (Photo via FOX News)

Of the original 459 on board, most of them were reported to be high school students, bound for the island of Jeju on a class trip.

When a distress call came in around 9am local time today, the ferry was reported to be leaning to one side. Recent photos show the ship almost completely submerged.

Government minister, Kang Byung-kyu said that 164 people had been rescued, and 55 of them were injured.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, stated, "We cannot give up. We have to do our best to rescue even one passenger."