Ferry with 267 People Onboard Crashes into Uninhabited Island in South Korea; All Rescued, 27 Injured

A ferry carrying 267 people collided with an uninhabited island near Jangsan Island in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, on the 19th. All onboard were later rescued. Among them, 27 passengers were sent to hospitals due to minor pain, but their injuries are not serious.

The Korean Coast Guard’s preliminary investigation determined that the accident was caused by the navigator being distracted by using a mobile phone and other work negligence.

The Coast Guard conducted an initial investigation into the main crew members of the ferry and confirmed that the navigator had switched the steering mode to autopilot in the narrow channel in order to look at a mobile phone, causing the ferry to fail to turn in time and directly crash into the uninhabited island.

The Korean Coast Guard indicated that the ferry was carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members. It departed from Jeju in the morning for Mokpo City and the accident occurred after 8 p.m. local time. The rescued were transferred to the Mokpo Coast Guard’s dedicated wharf.

After the accident, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok issued an emergency directive requiring all passengers to be rescued swiftly, and President Lee Jae-myung also instructed prompt handling of the situation.