On March 23, the government of South Korea lifted the wreck of Sewol vessel, almost three years after it sank in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province, on April 2014.
The 6,825-ton ferry, which had been lying at a depth of 44 meters, was lifted by two salvage barges, Korean Herald reports. As of 6 p.m., about 8.5 meters of the central part of the hull had surfaced above the water.
The target is to be lifted 13 meters above the surface, in order be transported to a port in Mokpo. The ship would normally weigh 8.300 metric tones, but, due to water and sand inside it, the weigh is increased to 20.000 metric tones. The process is expected to last 12-13 days.
In Mokpo, there is going to be a research on the remains of the vessel, in order to determine the causes of the incident.
The government of South Korea had announced the salvage operation plan in 2015, but it was delayed many times, because of bad weather and high tides.
The day of the incident, 476 passengers were onboard, 304 of which lost their lives and nine are still missing.
