Raw cell phone video taken by a 17-year-old victim of the capsized South Korean ferry has surfaced, shedding light on the feckless evacuation efforts of the crew, many of whom escaped to safety.
The video was released by Park Su-hyeon’s father, who was given the cell phone by rescue workers who discovered it while searching the boat for survivors. Sadly, Park died in the accident.
In the video, you can hear the students talking to one another, unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
“This is fun!” another shouted, not realizing that the ferry would soon capsize and sink.
In videos recovered from the cellphones of passengers aboard the ferry Sewol, a voice can be heard over the ship’s intercom urging students and their teachers to stay put, telling them they are safer where they are. But as the ship continued to tip and the voice over the intercom repeated the same instructions, panic spread. Some passengers apparently sensed the approaching doom, and sent farewells to their families.
“This looks like the end,” a boy shouted into a smartphone held by one of his classmates, Park Su-hyeon.
Before he could finish, another boy cut in: “Mom, Dad, I love you.”
In the wake of the accident, the captain and many of the crew members who escaped were arrested for negligence. As of Wednesday, the death toll stood at 213, many of those students who were embarking on a school trip. Eighty-nine people are still missing
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones in this tragic accident.
SOURCE: NY Times | VIDEO SOURCE: YouTube/AP
