<p>The death toll in the ferry disaster off South Korea’s southern coast last week is rapidly rising. </p>.<p>Of the 476 people on board the ill-fated boat, The Sewol, 64 are confirmed dead so far while 238 are still missing.</p>.<p>Over the last couple of days, divers have not rescued any passengers but are only retrieving dead bodies of those trapped in the sunken ferry. <br /><br />In the circumstances, hope is quickly turning into despair and even rage as families of those still missing struggle to cope with their loss. </p>.<p>What makes the disaster all the more tragic is the fact that 350 of the ferry’s passengers were high school students on a class trip to the island of Jeju. <br /><br />What was to be a fun-filled holiday turned into a ghastly nightmare. Reports that the ferry’s crew fled the boat, instead of staying back to direct the evacuation operations have triggered a tidal wave of anger among the Korean public. </p>.<p>The Korean government has even described the actions of the crew as amounting to murder. <br /><br />Statements by survivors and initial investigations into the tragedy indicate several grave errors on the part of the crew. <br /><br />It appears that they ordered the passengers to stay put on the boat instead of trying to escape. <br /><br />The few who survived did so either because they disobeyed the captain or did not hear his orders. <br /><br />As Koreans struggles to come to terms with the tragedy, people will need answers. <br /><br />Some will pin the blame on individuals. <br /><br />Sure the captain’s failure to order an early evacuation resulted in scores of children losing their lives. </p>.<p>However, the shipping company that owns The Sewol cannot absolve itself of responsibility. <br /><br />While The Sewol was not overloaded with passengers, its cargo, which consisted of hundreds of cars and trucks, was reportedly excessive in weight and not secured properly. <br /><br />As the boat lurched on choppy waters, the poorly tethered cargo was hurled around. Did this cause the boat to capsize?<br /><br />Media reports indicate that the crew were not trained in evacuation and that there weren’t enough life jackets on board. <br /><br />Thus, this was a disaster that was not just man-made but was waiting to happen. <br /><br />A probe must establish the truth not only to provide closure for families of the deceased but also, to ensure that similar tragedies do not recur.</p>
<p>The death toll in the ferry disaster off South Korea’s southern coast last week is rapidly rising. </p>.<p>Of the 476 people on board the ill-fated boat, The Sewol, 64 are confirmed dead so far while 238 are still missing.</p>.<p>Over the last couple of days, divers have not rescued any passengers but are only retrieving dead bodies of those trapped in the sunken ferry. <br /><br />In the circumstances, hope is quickly turning into despair and even rage as families of those still missing struggle to cope with their loss. </p>.<p>What makes the disaster all the more tragic is the fact that 350 of the ferry’s passengers were high school students on a class trip to the island of Jeju. <br /><br />What was to be a fun-filled holiday turned into a ghastly nightmare. Reports that the ferry’s crew fled the boat, instead of staying back to direct the evacuation operations have triggered a tidal wave of anger among the Korean public. </p>.<p>The Korean government has even described the actions of the crew as amounting to murder. <br /><br />Statements by survivors and initial investigations into the tragedy indicate several grave errors on the part of the crew. <br /><br />It appears that they ordered the passengers to stay put on the boat instead of trying to escape. <br /><br />The few who survived did so either because they disobeyed the captain or did not hear his orders. <br /><br />As Koreans struggles to come to terms with the tragedy, people will need answers. <br /><br />Some will pin the blame on individuals. <br /><br />Sure the captain’s failure to order an early evacuation resulted in scores of children losing their lives. </p>.<p>However, the shipping company that owns The Sewol cannot absolve itself of responsibility. <br /><br />While The Sewol was not overloaded with passengers, its cargo, which consisted of hundreds of cars and trucks, was reportedly excessive in weight and not secured properly. <br /><br />As the boat lurched on choppy waters, the poorly tethered cargo was hurled around. Did this cause the boat to capsize?<br /><br />Media reports indicate that the crew were not trained in evacuation and that there weren’t enough life jackets on board. <br /><br />Thus, this was a disaster that was not just man-made but was waiting to happen. <br /><br />A probe must establish the truth not only to provide closure for families of the deceased but also, to ensure that similar tragedies do not recur.</p>
