South Korea ship sinking - 450 on board, April 2014

[Blondie in Spokane]

ITA guys....that video is heartbreaking. I feel so badly for everyone that was on board, all those poor kids, the parents and families left behind,the survivors who will probably deal with survivors guilt the rest of their lives, the divers....it's just continual sadness. I can't imagine how awful and stressful this is for the security personnel stationed by the dock......grief and agony everywhere, and this is going to go on and on and on.

Can you imagine what that poor father (that Snoods referenced above) feels like now? I probably would have told my son the same thing had he been in that same situation...."follow instructions, the captain and crew know best". How does a parent live with that guilt even though they thought they were doing the right thing at the time. Good God.

Snoods....you're so right....there really aren't words appropriate for this horrendous situation....I stumbled over composing the above paragraphs, just rambling on and on.

 

[Snoods]

ITA guys....that video is heartbreaking. I feel so badly for everyone that was on board, all those poor kids, the parents and families left behind,the survivors who will probably deal with survivors guilt the rest of their lives, the divers....it's just continual sadness. I can't imagine how awful and stressful this is for the security personnel stationed by the dock......grief and agony everywhere, and this is going to go on and on and on.

Can you imagine what that poor father (that Snoods referenced above) feels like now? I probably would have told my son the same thing had he been in that same situation...."follow instructions, the captain and crew know best". How does a parent live with that guilt even though they thought they were doing the right thing at the time. Good God.

Snoods....you're so right....there really aren't words appropriate for this horrendous situation....I stumbled over composing the above paragraphs, just rambling on and on.

Great post Blondie!

BBM I agree, you're exactly right. I'm sure I would have said the same thing to my own son, unknowingly rubber stamping his own horrible death. The guilt would be unbearable. I honestly don't know if I would survive it.

Blondie and everyone else reading here :grouphug: I just wish I could do more.

 

[Snoods]

Four more crew members just arrested, 65 bodies recovered per CNN.

 

[Penelope]

I saw this video earlier today. I know what you mean about not having the words to express the depth of sadness. I've been following the story closely, and reading here daily, but I've been unable to put into words how I feel. My heart hurts......for the passengers.....the families.....the rescuers.....and the police who are standing guard to prevent the parents from trying to take their own lives. All I can do is pray.

Yes, I watched the link posted on WS yesterday then watched it broadcast by CNN last night on TV - both times I wept for the parents. It is gut-wrenching to hear their cries of the parents and to watch the faces of the police as the bodies are wheeled into the makeshift morgue.

This is a horrific tragedy because so much death could have been avoided if people had done their jobs. As a parent, it would be so difficult to keep going when you know your child suffered a fearful, terrible death. At least they are doing what is necessary to recover the bodies.

 

[SilkySifaka]

I don't even know what to say after watching that video. I've typed, backspaced, typed again. No words are adequate. Those poor parents, those poor kids. Don't watch that video if you're easily upset; you actually hear the moment a parent identifies their dead child.

That was a powerful video, I am glad I watched it, felt I was a witness to support all those searching and grieving..if that makes any sense. Very sensitively done. What struck me most was the sound of marching of the bearers on the sand

 

[Penelope]

An opinion piece about the disaster that reacts to the South Korean president's remark about the conduct of some of the ferry's crew being "akin to murder." Murder? Maybe not, but certainly manslaughter.
The article:
The South Korea ferry disaster is truly awful, but it is not murder

The desire of parents and public for retribution will be hard to resist, yet it will raise yet again the universal question about responsibility and intent. Is it just to label someone a killer if a death occurs as the result of an oversight, or of fear? Cultural difference may determine, in part, where that line is drawn, but it is nowhere as clear – not in the east, still less in the west – as where President Park seemed to place it when she spoke of "murder".

The comments are interesting.

 

[Insp.Gadget]

But it is not in an English first speaking language country.

Great Attention to detail reg the Caps "Police" written on Caps as seen in the CNN video-clips. fellow :websleuther: !


Therefore Googling official MSM-links and Wikipedia and Official Images of South Korean Police Officer outfits:

Image Example outfit of Riot Police of the SMPA (Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency) stand ready with riot shields:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seoul-Riot-Police.jpg

Image Example on their official Website KNPA (Korean National Police Agency):
http://www.police.go.kr/eng/main.do


About the word "Police" written on their caps...

Korean (한국어/조선&#47568 is the official language of South Korea.
English has also become important that it's even promoted as a major criterion in education,
employment and job-performance evaluation in South Korea,
South Koreans have also gone so far as to debate whether to adopt English as an official language of South Korea:
MSM News koreatimes.co.kr published in year 2008:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/11/123_34000.html
"Adoption of English as Official Language Proposed"

 

[Snoods]

A body being brought to shore:

The ferry is no longer above water, these markers are the only thing indicating there is an enormous vessel beneath the water:

The families of the missing children in the gymnasium where they are living:

Confession, I've just learned how to copy and paste images and I believe I've created a monster! Somebody stop me before I post again, lol

 

[nightwatch]

Lol snoods post #128

ciao

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Lol snoods post #128

ciao

Same here... Good job, Snoods...:seeya:

 

[Isabelle]

An opinion piece about the disaster that reacts to the South Korean president's remark about the conduct of some of the ferry's crew being "akin to murder." Murder? Maybe not, but certainly manslaughter.
The article:
The South Korea ferry disaster is truly awful, but it is not murder



The comments are interesting.

If you consider premeditation as a requirement then I agree it is not murder. But, if the captain and crew of the ship were not capable of taking proper action in the time of the catastrophe due to lack of experience, planning or knowledge then I would definitely agree this is murder and it would be premeditated. There is absolutely no good reason the staff on the ferry should not have be able to act appropriately at the time of the disaster. It is possible the owners of the vessel could be liable as well if they did not insure the safety of passengers by having in place a safety plan and making that mandatory for their staff. What happened is inexcusable.

As an RN, if I did something that caused harm or death to a patient because of my lack of knowledge I would suffer maximum consequences. My action/nonactions would be inexcusable.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Death Count Tops 100

http://abcnews.go.com/International...rry-crew-actions-murderous-23404772?source=hp

 

[1&2&3]

Four more crew members just arrested, 65 bodies recovered per CNN.

BBM

Am glad to see this as it is obvious the crew knew it was either get into a rescue boat or drown! That is a harsh statement to make, and I apologize to any that it offends. The crew did not do their job. We all look for help and guidance from people working on the ship we are on. This crew failed miserably!

Prayers for all the families of lost loved ones and people working tirelessly in the recovery effort.

My opinions only.

 

[Snoods]

Hero crew member:

Park Jee Young, 22, who by witness accounts helped them escape and distributed life jackets -- one after the other to students -- as the stricken ferry began to sink.
When she ran out of jackets, she ran to the next floor to grab more.

When she was asked why she wasn't wearing a life jacket, Park said that crew members would be last and that she had to help others first, according to witness accounts to South Korean media.

Much more in article:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/21/world/asia/young-sewol-crew-member/

Especially poignant is her statement to a student that the crew would be last because they had to help others first. How sad that she had no idea the Captain and the rest of the crew abandoned her. Even if she had known, I don't believe that would have changed her actions that day. She is a true hero. RIP Park Jee Young.

 

[newone]

I have a kid who while in university took a job on a fresh water ''booze cruise'' boat ((dinner dance sunset cruise kind of party boat)). Even as kitchen help, every employee was trained and drilled in emergency evac.

My heartfelt condolences for the parents and families of these lost passengers. I hope that the beauty and class of this young lady's actions to save others will be brought to the forefront of the news out of respect for her mom and family. She was truly a class act and a daughter to be proud of - RIP Park Jee Young

 

[Snoods]

Captain's claim that he was concerned about the safety of passengers in the frigid water is bogus; Captain and crew were told rescue boats would be there to rescue them within TEN MINUTES!

Per CNN

 

[Snoods]

BBM

Am glad to see this as it is obvious the crew knew it was either get into a rescue boat or drown! That is a harsh statement to make, and I apologize to any that it offends. The crew did not do their job. We all look for help and guidance from people working on the ship we are on. This crew failed miserably!

Prayers for all the families of lost loved ones and people working tirelessly in the recovery effort.

My opinions only.

I agree. Why is it that the only member of the crew to stay and help hundreds of passengers is a tiny 22 year old young woman that had worked on the ship for only six months? She dropped out of college to help financially support her family after her father passed away.

If I said how I really felt about the Captain and the rest of the crew I would be banned from WS.

 

[newone]

I agree. Why is it that the only member of the crew to stay and help hundreds of passengers is a tiny 22 year old young woman that had worked on the ship for only six months? She dropped out of college to help financially support her family after her father passed away.

If I said how I really felt about the Captain and the rest of the crew I would be banned from WS.

Just my point of view, but there is only one point failure -- the Captain failed to instruct crew to get passengers to muster stations much earlier. There is only one crew member who should be criminally charged and that is the one person who had sole authority to order an evacuation and that is the master...the captain in this case!

The young crew member who was at the helm was following instructions and is being scapegoated....I am incensed that she's being charged.

The total onus is on the captain.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

First distress call on S. Korean ferry from passenger, not crew, coast guard says

"The first distress call from the ferry Sewol came not from the crew, but from a boy who used a cell phone to contact emergency services from aboard the sinking ship, the South Korean coast guard confirmed to CNN Tuesday."

"CNN affiliate JTBC reported that the boy dialed South Korea's emergency number, telling dispatchers for a local fire service, "Help us. The boat is sinking." The boy's fate was not clear."

"It was not until three minutes later, the coast guard told CNN, that the ship's crew made a distress call to maritime officials."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/22/world/asia/south-korea-ship-sinking/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

The newly released recordings from the ferry disaster reveal a very frantic scene as passengers tried to evacuate.

http://www.cnn.com/video/standard.h...mepage=yes&video_referrer=http://www.cnn.com/