April 28, 2014 -- Updated 1518 GMT (2318 HKT)
The captain of the first ship on scene when the Sewol began to sink says
"So many lives would have been saved," had the ferry's crew acted more
swiftly. FULL STORY
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South Korean ferry rescuers: So many lives could have been saved
April 28, 2014 -- Updated 1011 GMT (1811 HKT)
First ship on scene saw no evacuation
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Doola Ace reached stricken ferry just minutes after receiving the first distress call
- Rescue ship's captain saw few signs of an evacuation
- Ferry's crew looked for early escape
- Captain haunted by day's events and the needless loss of human life
"The ship was listing
(badly), 30 to 40 degrees," he recalls. "It was in such a bad condition,
anyone would assume evacuation was well underway."
The Doola Ace was the
first vessel to reach the Sewol, the ill-fated South Korean ferry that
first started to sink in the early hours of April 16. Upon arriving at
the scene just minutes after receiving a distress call, it didn't take
Moon and his crew long to react.
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Around 9:15 am, twenty
minutes after the first SOS, Moon and his men were 200 meters from the
Sewol, on deck ready to deploy life rafts and life rings.
But despite the alarming
angle that the ferry had already attained, there were few signs that a
full-fledged evacuation was underway.
What they didn't know was
the passengers, including the 325 students from Danwon High School on a
field trip, had been told by the ferry's crew to stay put. While the
ferry continued its inexorable descent into the cold waters of the
Yellow Sea, those on board trusted in the orders of their crew.
"Please do not move from
your location," the ferry's loudspeakers, which swiftly began taking on
water after running into trouble, barked at those on board. "Absolutely
do not move."
Radio contact
Moon spoke directly to
the Sewol on the radio, telling an unidentified crew member that his men
were ready to assist in an immediate rescue, and urged the contact to
tell the passengers to escape.
A full ten minutes later the Sewol was still asking -- "if we escape, can they be rescued?"
Steeped in regret for
what he clearly sees as a needless waste of life, the captain wonders
what would have happened if the other ship's crew had followed protocol.
"Maybe they were waiting
for a different rescue boat, but in that situation, you don't wait,"
says Moon. "They should have made the call for evacuation. So many lives
would have been saved."
Panicked crew
Moon says the crew
member on the radio sounded like he was panicking and was clearly
inexperienced. "In an emergency, it should be the captain on the radio.
You need to make decisions fast. Or at least someone with experience to
give direction."
Moon's voice hardens
when he talks about the Sewol captain escaping. Discussing the actions
of the man who was arrested for his part in the chaotic scenes that
followed the delayed evacuation order, he becomes visibly angry.
The Sewol's captain, Lee
Joon-seok, was been charged with abandoning his boat, negligence,
causing bodily injury, not seeking rescue from other ships, and
violating "seamen's law," state media reported, citing prosecutors and
police.
"It is an issue of
ethics," Moon says. "It is a given that there are laws and regulations,
but it's common sense that (the crew) should help people escape."
The captain shakes his
head, and says that he believes the Sewol captain has sullied the name
of all Korean captains. He says this is the last time he will speak of
this tragedy, hoping if he doesn't talk about it his nightmares about
not being able to save the children will ease.
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