Almaty. April 16. KazTAG - 18 helicopters have been involved in the rescue operation at the coast of South Korea where a vessel has sunk; 179 people out of 476 have been rescued, reports the Russian service BBC.
"As we found out, at least two passengers have died. The local authorities confirmed that at least 179 people have been taken aboard of other ships," reads the message.
As reported, a vessel with 476 people aboard sent a distress signal on April 16. The majority of the passengers are schoolchildren.
The reason of the ferry wreckage is still unknown; some sources said it got aground.
"We heard strong impact, after that the vessel stopped and started to root," the BBC cites one of the passengers.