Stricken South Korean ferry raised from the sea bed

Stricken South Korean ferry raised from the sea bed
By Catherine Hardy  with Reuters

The Sewol has been brought back above the waves after foundering almost three years ago with the loss of more than 300 lives.

An animation video shows the complex and delicate process of the salvage operation to raise the Sewol ferry in South Korea.

The ship has been lying on its side at a depth of 44 metres.

The operation to raise it began on Wednesday.

How far has it got?

Officials say the vessel was raised 13 metres above the surface of the sea by late morning local time on Friday.

It has been moved onto a semi-submersible vessel and then taken to a nearby port for an inspection, which could take up to two weeks.

In tweets

Footage of the ferry being raised

The ferry is balanced between two supports after being raised.

The Sewol makes its final voyage


When did the vessel sink?

Nearly three years ago. More than 300 people died.

It was structurally unsound, overloaded and travelling too fast on a turn when it capsized and sank during a routine trip off the southwest coast on April 16, 2014.

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