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Thursday, March 23, 2017

South Korea starts raising sunken ferry three years after disaster

A South Korean passenger ferry that capsized and sank nearly three years ago killing more than 300 people has started to be lifted from the water.

The sinking of the Sewol in violent seas on 16 April 2014 caused an outpouring of national grief, as most of those who died were students on a high school trip.

Public outrage over what was seen as a botched rescue job by the government contributed to the recent ousting of Park Geun-Hye as president.

Workers on two barges began the salvage operation of the 6,800-ton vessel on Wednesday night by slipping 66 cables underneath the ferry, which has been lying on its left side in 40m (130ft) of water.

An official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said workers need to raise the ferry until its upper side is about 13m (42ft) above the surface.

Salvage crews will then load the ferry onto a semi-submersible vessel that will carry it to a port. The loading process, including emptying the ferry of water and fuel, is expected to take days.

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