Bereaved families are hoping to find the last nine bodies still missing after the South Korean ferry sank in 2014 with the loss of 304 lives.
Officials in South Korea say bone fragments found near the salvaged wreckage of the Sewol ferry came from an animal and not an unrecovered victim of the disaster.
Eun-hwa, let's go home. Mommy will find you quickly
Mother of missing child
An official had earlier told reporters that the remains found appeared to come from at least once unrecovered victim.
The fragments range from 4cm to 18 cm in length.
However, analysis by the National Forensic Service showed that seven pieces of bone found came from an animal.
After over 1000 days, the #Sewol touches land as a lifeless empty shell. The ferry sank 3 years ago killing 304. 9 bodies are still missing pic.twitter.com/kJ9aGjSfdw
— Joseph Kim (@josungkim) 31 mars 2017
How many people are still missing?
Nine. 304 people died when the ferry sank on April 16, 2014. Most of them were children on a school trip.
The ferry was raised last week and loaded onto a semi-submersible vessel to be taken to a nearby port.
Of those killed, 250 were teenagers from the same high school.
What happened?
The Sewol was structurally unsound, overloaded and travelling too fast on a turn.
It capsized and sank off the country’s southwest coast.
Has anyone been held responsible for what happened?
Yes. The ferry’s captain was found guilty of homicide in 2015 and jailed for life.
More than a dozen other crew members received shorter sentences.
The botched rescue and loss of so many children in one of Asia’s most technically-advanced economies shocked and angered the country.
A difficult time for relatives
The news comes as bereaved families and officials hope to find the last nine bodies still missing from the disaster.
Weeping relatives attended the memorial service for the missing held near the wreck of the vessel. Yellow roses were thrown onto the sea.
“Eun-hwa, let’s go home. Mommy will find you quickly. You should hang in there a bit to meet Mommy,” said Lee Kum-hee whose daughter is among the missing.
Bodies of these 9 #southkoreans have yet to be recovered since the #sewol ferry sank on April 16, 2014. Families hope to find closure soon. pic.twitter.com/8H3y0fxdfC
— LIM Yun Suk (@yunsukCNA) 23 mars 2017
In tweets
Raised South Korean ferry Sewol arrives at port https://t.co/xO7kRbtEKVpic.twitter.com/7fS0AkCry5
— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) 31 mars 2017
Salvage workers in South Korea find human remains believed to be from the sunken ferry Sewol which sank in 2014 https://t.co/V9jMLYGOgUpic.twitter.com/33WJNSHLGC
— AFP news agency (@AFP) 28 mars 2017
“Now that it's coming up, I can finally bring my child home” #Sewolpic.twitter.com/o9UvpwQRRa
— Joseph Kim (@josungkim) 23 mars 2017
Naufrage du Sewol: le renflouement de l'épave du ferry se prépare https://t.co/uENClhNO60#AFPpic.twitter.com/y9nES9Jp1k
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) 22 mars 2017
Sewol salvage delayed by weather https://t.co/2f5fhPsRcnpic.twitter.com/3azg3MLEFX
— TradeWinds (@tradewindsnews) 20 mars 2017
