The body of a victim of South Korea's ferry disaster has been found miles away from the sunken vessel, rescuers said Thursday, fuelling fears that some of the deceased may never be found.
Since the 6,825-tonne Sewol ferry sank off the southwest coast on April 16, 289 bodies have now been recovered, leaving 15 unaccounted for.
The ship was carrying a total of 476 people -- mostly high school students on a school trip.
Even though no bodies have been recovered from the interior over the past two weeks, divers have continued searching the submerged vessel in extremely hazardous conditions.
Two divers have been killed so far -- the latest just last week.
The late diver was recruited to help cut open a wall of the boat in an effort to find the remaining bodies believed to be obstructed by furniture and ferry parts that collapsed when the ship capsized and sank.
Most of the bodies have been found inside the cabins but dozens have been found outside the ship, according the mission. Nets had been set up in the perimeter in order to prevent bodies from drifting away.
As of Thursday, 15 people remain missing and 289 passengers and crew members are confirmed dead.
The body found Thursday by a local fisherman was floating at sea 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the sunken ship, the maritime ministry said.
Fingerprint tests confirmed the person was one of the missing passengers.
The recovery will underscore warnings that other bodies may have been washed far from the rescue site by the strong currents -- and that some may never be recovered.
Thursday 05 June 2014
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/victim-of-s-korea-ferry/1137818.html
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