JINDO: Salvage operators were to begin a test lift of South Korea’s Sewol ferry Wednesday, officials said, nearly three years after it sank killing 304 people and dealing a crippling blow to now ousted president Park Geun-Hye. It is thought that nine bodies still unaccounted for may be trapped inside the sunken ship, and raising the ferry intact has been a key demand of the victims’ families. The maritime ministry said that preparations for the test would begin Wednesday morning. If all goes well, and weather forecasts are favorable, the full lift of the 6,825-ton ferry, expected to take three days, will go ahead. Investigations into the disaster concluded it was largely man-made — the cumulative result of an illegal redesign, an overloaded cargo bay, inexperienced crew and a questionable relationship between the ship operators and state regulators.

Source: Manila Times March 22, 2017 03:00 UTC