韩国打捞沉没三年的客轮“世越”号

 

A recovery operation has raised the Sewol ferry, which sank off South Korea’s southern coast almost three years ago.

An official overseeing the operation said the ferry reached the water’s surface shortly before five o’clock, local time.

Three-hundred-four people, many of them high school students, died when the Sewol sank in April 2014.

The sinking is considered one of South Korea’s worst maritime¹ disasters. It has been an issue of deep sadness, anger and division.

Families of the victims have called for the Sewol to be raised and for a more complete investigation² of the sinking.

The head of a group representing the victims’ families, Yoo Kyung-geun, released a statement on Thursday. It urged the government to “work on the recovery of the missing victims first.”

A Chinese salvage³ company raised the hull⁴ of the passenger ship, which sank in 40 meters of water near Jindo Island.

An official of South Korea’s Ministry⁵ of Oceans and Fisheries said it will take 12 to 13 days to bring the ship to the port of Mokpo.

Recent efforts to raise the ship have been slowed by weather and strong waves.

The sinking shook South Korea and its politics

The Sewol was carrying 467 people on the day it left for the South Korean island of Jeju on April 16, 2014.

Investigators⁶ say the ship was dangerously overloaded⁷ with goods, making it unbalanced.

The ship overturned while trying to make a turn at high speed.

Adding to the anger over the tragedy was the reported failure of the crew and officers to ensure the safety of the passengers. Crew members reportedly told many of the 250 teenagers who died while on a school trip to stay in their room. The Sewol’s captain and crew members later left the ship.

The captain was found guilty of gross negligence⁸ charges and sentenced to life in prison. Fourteen crew members were given sentences of up to 12 years for abandonment and violating maritime law.

The rescue efforts of the South Korean coast guard were also criticized.

The sinking led to a sharp drop in approval of the government of then-president Park Geun-hye. She was blamed for disappearing for seven hours during the incident. She made no public statement while the ship sank.

The public’s trust in Park never fully⁹ recovered.

The South Korean National Assembly voted to remove her from office last December. It noted¹⁰ Park’s reaction to the sinking and her reported links to illegal payments to an organization controlled by her friend as reasons for its vote.

The Constitutional Court voted to support the assembly’s decision earlier this month.

A new presidential election is to take place on May 9.

Words in This Story

salvage – v. to carry out an effort to save or recover something that has been lost

hull – n. the body of a ship

maritime – adj. of or related to the sea

gross – adj. extreme

negligence – n. failure to exercise care

abandonment – n. rejection of one’s rights and responsibilities

1 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

4 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

8 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。