What a shocking disaster this is turning into. I’m struggling to understand why they didn’t get the passengers into lifeboats when they knew the boat was taking on water.
Sank in 30m of water also – what did it hit, or could this have been a mechanical?
If it wasn’t so far south I’d be thinking about N Korea.
Poor kids and their families 🙁

Poor kids and their families

It is awful.

And yes, I don’t understand why the moment the ship is listing and taking on they did not man some lifeboats.

It really is awful; I can’t begin to imagine what the families are going through right now.

Sank in 30m of water also – what did it hit, or could this have been a mechanical?

Its impossible to say at this stage but it could be collision or mechanical; a failed hull valve can let enough water in to make it almost impossible to recover. The news also reported (I think I heard) that passengers were advised to stay between decks – perhaps for stability reasons to reduce top weight (its a terrible idea regardless) and then you end up in a discussion about whether the vessel was in list or loll.

I’m sure they’ll understand what happened following an investigation but its a shocking loss of life whatever the circumstances.

Said on the radio this morning that its looked like ‘something’ tore a big hole in some kind of tanks on the side of the ship below the waterline which are meant to protect the main part of the hull. When torn open on one side, these should still let water pass into the tanks on the other side and in this case it doesn’t look like its happened which resulted in a capsize.

I was wondering about the cause too – 30m of water and passengers reported a loud bang as if it hit something.

Either way, a tragedy.

I can’t get my head round it. They had two hours to get them off as well. There shouldn’t have been any fatalities.

What I don’t understand is why are the kids/people being told to stay in their rooms when the ship was listing/sinking.

Worst is they all followed the instruction to their death while the crew members clearly have no clue of the danger they were in and the way to evacuate the people.

In the traditional South Korean style those surviving crew will now have to face the danger to their lives if they live. No pussy footing here as they will definitely get beaten up severely.

What the Captain and his crew who got off? Echos of the Italian disaster but without the voice recording or the sail-past but still.

… it seems most of kids are from same school/community. It is unimaginably horrific.

Desperate stuff. I read a story about a girl who phoned her gran to say she though she was going to die. I cannot understand how and why everyone was not evacuated into lifeboats. I also read the boat hit some rocks in fog, its clearly possible for their to be isolated rocks surrounded by deeper water.

Yep echos of Concordia – Reports that the Captain was one of the first to escape.

Most disasters are worsened by incompetence and lack of leadership and training. Humans go into shock and don’t think straight and unless they’ve been trained and taught a course of action to follow, they make bad decisions.

My nephew and his GF are English teachers in South Korea. I will email them now.

Tragic. I can’t watch it any more.

People, especially groups, are so slow to react to anything. Ever tried evacuating a building never mind a ship? Costa concordia footage showed complete lack of haste as well. Lifeboats can only launch when vertical. Past a few degrees the davits are useless. Oil rig style drop/release boats would be the only solution.

I take many official safety instructions with a pinch of salt these days. But I read the safety card and count the rows on aircraft. Am I unusual?

Do you think Korean “cultural authority” might have been a factor here as well?

I also read the boat hit some rocks in fog, its clearly possible for their to be isolated rocks surrounded by deeper water.

Possible, but in a busy harbour they’d be well marked, and the captain would have known the route. Semi submerged container would be more likley?

I take many official safety instructions with a pinch of salt these days. But I read the safety card and count the rows on aircraft. Am I unusual?

Nope. I do too.

Anchored boat too.

How many died on Concordia. 14.

Italy and Korea have very different cultures, much more conformist in Asia, so if told to stay in cabins and drown, people are much more likely to obey. In Italy, no one obeys orders.

Desperately tragic, Fiona Bruce looked moved reading the news and the amount of children missing…