Transcript: Ferry So Listed Escape Was 'Impossible'

As death toll pushes to 58
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2014 6:41 AM CDT
Transcript: Ferry So Listed Escape Was 'Impossible'
South Korean rescue teams search missing passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol off the southern coast near Jindo, South Korea, Sunday, April 20, 2014.   (AP Photo/Yonhap)

With 58 people now dead and 244 still missing in the South Korean ferry sinking, CNN picks up a transcript of a conversation between a crewmember of the doomed ship and the Jindo Vehicle Traffic Service. As the Sewol sank, the crew radioed: "Our ship is listing and may fall." After Jindo inquired after the passengers, the ferry responded that the boat is "too listed (and) they are not able to move." VTS later asked, "Are the passengers able to escape?"
And the Sewol responded: "The ship listed too much, so it is impossible."

The release of the wrenching exchange comes as crews brought another dozen bodies to shore today, with relatives looking on. "Wake up! Wake up, please!" screamed one man. Rescuers continue to comb the area. (More ferry stories.)

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