4 Dead, Hundreds Missing After Ferry Sinks Off South Korean Coast

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The Republic of Korea Coast Guard work at the site of ferry sinking accident off the coast of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014 in Jindo-gun, South Korea. Four people are confirmed dead and almost 300 are reported missing.

Image: Park Young-Chul/Donga Daily/Getty Images

By Brian Ries2014-04-16 14:09:36 UTC

Four people are dead, 55 are injured and hundreds are missing after a ferry carrying more than 470 people capsized off the southern coast of South Korea.

Officials fear the death toll will rise throughout the day.

See also: Ferry Sinks Off South Korea, Nearly 300 People Missing

The ship, which was carrying a number of high school students on a trip to a nearby island, sent out a distress signal at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, NPR reports.

Less than two hours later had completely turned over, leaving the majority of it under water.

Nearly 300 people who were on board the ship are now missing, and a frantic search of the ship and surrounding waters is underway.

160 coast guard and a team of navy divers are searching the interior of the ship for pockets of trapped students. The water in the region is very cold, with temperatures hovering just above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. "South Korean authorities say people swimming in water at that temperature show signs of hypothermia after 90 minutes or two hours," NPR's Frank Langfitt says.

One survivor, a student, told local television that students had jumped into the freezing ocean wearing life jackets before swimming to a nearby rescue boat. "As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," he said. The ocean "was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

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Topics: South Korea, US & World, World