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South Korea's Ferry Disaster
A giant ferry, Sewol, carrying 459 people, sank off South Korea's southern coast on April 16th. At least eighty-seven vessels and eighteen aircraft swarmed around the ship. Rescuers clambered over its sides, pulling out passengers wearing orange life jackets. But the ship overturned completely and continued to sink slowly. Within a few hours it disappeared. The ship had set sail from a city in the northern part of the country for an overnight, fourteen-hour journey to the tourist island of Jeju.
South Korean President, Park Geun-hye has apologized for the failure to prevent the ferry accident. She promised to increase safety standards and the formation of a government agency to respond to large-scale disasters. There was also widespread anger at the ship's crew members, almost all of whom abandoned the ship before a proper evacuation took place. Some of the crew were arrested.
Reports suggested that the Sewol accident may have resulted from the fact that an inexperienced third mate was steering the craft in treacherous waters at high speed. Cash-strapped ship owners might have overloaded the passenger ferry with cargo. And if the vessel was steered sharply, that might have caused the vessel to list dangerously to one side.
南韓郵輪海難
承載四百五十九名乘客的巨型郵輪歲月號,在四月十六日沉沒於南韓的南邊海岸。至少八十七艘船艦及十八架飛機包圍歲月號。救難員攀上傾斜的船身並拉起身穿橘色救生衣的乘客。但隨後整艘船徹底翻覆且持續緩慢地下沉。而不出幾小時歲月號隨即消失於海面。該郵輪從南韓北部的城市啟航,展開航程十四小時的過夜旅程,目的地為觀光勝地濟州島。
南韓總統朴槿惠日前為無法預防船難向大眾致歉。她承諾會提升安全標準以及組成政府專案機構來針對大型災難危機處理。外界也普遍將憤怒的矛頭指向歲月號的船員,幾乎所有船員在尚未妥善執行安全措施前就已棄船。幾名船員已遭逮捕。
媒體指出,歲月號的事故恐起因於經驗不足的第三副掌舵,並高速航行於變化莫測的海域。也可能是船主因缺乏資金而將這艘載客為主的郵輪超載貨物,若船隻猛烈行駛則恐造成船身嚴重傾斜於某一邊。
《Vocabulary》
1. swarm v. 攀爬;(+ around)包圍
2. clamber v. 攀登
3. overturn v. 傾覆;翻倒
4. within prep. 不超過
5. formation n. 組成
6. mate n. 大副;助手
7. steer v. 掌舵
8. treacherous adj. 變化莫測的
9. cash-strapped adj. 缺乏現金的;資金週轉不靈的
10. list v. 船身傾斜
資料來源:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/15/ferry-sinks-south-korea/7762783/
http://www.voanews.com/content/skoreas-park-apologizes-for-ferry-disaster/1903305.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/as-ferry-death-toll-rises-focus-shifts-to-maritime-safety/1900605.html
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