Just days after the corroded wreck of the Sewol was lifted from the sea floor, human bones and possessions have been discovered on the long-sunken ferry,
Just days after the corroded wreck of the Sewol was lifted from the sea floor, human bones and possessions have been discovered on the long-sunken ferry, South Korean officials announced Tuesday.
Salvage workers “found bones of a dead person on the deck,” Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official Lee Cheol-jo told reporters, according to CNN. “We have found a total of six bones ranging in size from four to 18 centimeters. We believe they came through the windows and opening of the ferry’s bow. ”
It is still unclear whether the remains belong to one person or several, Lee added, explaining that DNA tests were to still come.
The discovery offers new hope to relatives of the nine victims who remain missing nearly three years after the Sewol capsized off the South Korean coast, killing 304 passengers — most of whom were teens on a school trip. As NPR’s Laurel Wamsley reported , family members gathered last week to watch as salvage workers set about the difficult task of raising what’s left of the 6,800-ton vessel and placing it in dry dock.
