Seoul – The South Korean Coastguard’s regional chief, Kim Soo-hyun, has given an update on the rescue operation to find missing passengers from a South Korean ferry that capsized Wednesday.

Of the 475 people on board, 9 have been confirmed dead, 179 people have been rescued and 287 are still missing. The search for survivors resumed overnight after being halted earlier due to bad weather.

The South Korean Coast Guard says currently altogether 171 ships, 29 planes and 18 helicopers have been dispatched. More than 500 rescuers are also searching nearby waters. South Korean passenger ship “Sewol” was on an overnight journey to the tourist island of Jeju, when it overturned and sank off the coast of Jindo Island Wednesday morning.

President Park Geun-Hye has paid a visit to the site where the ferry sank. She asked rescue workers to do their best to find those still missing. She has also met with the families of the passengers, 325 of which were high school students taking part in a four-day field trip. Source: Xinhua