Two individuals have been arrested and the vessel’s captain is under official scrutiny following the grounding of the ferry Queen Jenuvia II (IMO 9901386) on rocky shallows off the south-western coast of South Korea.
The incident occurred near the uninhabited Jogdo Island, adjacent to Jangsan Island in Shinan County.
All 267 passengers and crew members were successfully evacuated after the vessel became stuck, though 27 sustained minor injuries from the impact.
The coast guard confirmed the arrest of the helmsman and the first mate on charges of gross negligence resulting in injuries. It was reported that the helmsman initially cited a steering malfunction but subsequently conceded that his attention had been diverted by his mobile phone, causing him to miss a critical navigational waypoint.
The Korea-flagged ferryboat en route to Mokpo from Jeju Island has since been moved to a nearby port.
Authorities continue to investigate the precise cause of the accident.
During the event, passengers relayed their experiences through social media. One account, published by Yonhap news agency, described a loud impact followed by a pronounced list of the ship, after which an instruction was issued for all aboard to don life jackets and assemble on the top deck.
The location is proximate to the site of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, a sinking that resulted in the loss of more than 300 lives, predominantly schoolchildren. A diving instructor from Jeju Island recounted that, despite a moment of intense fear and the deafening sound of the grounding, the memory of the Sewol tragedy reinforced the critical need to remain calm, proceed to the exterior, and await instructions while wearing a life jacket.