We continue our special coverage on the ferry sinking off Korea's southwestern coast...
The major rescue operation continues on this Thursday afternoon,... more than 24 hours after a Korean passenger ferry carrying 4-hundred-75 people capsized.
NINE people have now been confirmed dead, while 2-hundred-87 others remain unaccounted for.
Most on board the Sewol ferry were teenagers,... high school students heading to Korea's southern Jeju Island for a field trip.
Let's go straight to Connie Kim... who's standing by at an emergency management center that's been set up to deal with this tragedic incident.
Connie... what do we know so far...?
Yes, unfortunately we don't have any news over the number of survivors.
The confirmed death toll currently stands at NINE,... five of them being high school students.
The ministry of security and public administration has confirmed that five foreigners were on board.
Two Filipinos,... both in their fourties are confirmed to have been rescued.
The whereabouts about the three other foreign passengers are unknown, including an 18-year-old Russian student and two Chinese nationals of Korean descent in their thirties.
According to a press briefing led by the securities minister this morning, 179 people have so far been rescued from the ferry.
One-hundred-and-one of them are currently being treated in eight different hospitals,... five in critical condition.
Now, there were conflicting numbers yesterday about the total number of people on board the ship ...when it went down....
That number has now been fixed at 475.
A lot of confusion here... but one thing is for sure... the whole nation wants everyone to be safe and sound... the search-and-rescue efforts continue. This is a massive operation. Tell us JUST how large it is.
According to securities minister, there are 555 scuba divers on the scene, along with 169 ships and 29 aircraft... all actively searching for survivors.
This is.... a cooperative search being led by the Korean Navy and the Coast Guard,... but they are battling difficult conditions.
Fast tidal currents and low visibility underwater are hampering efforts.
There are three cranes currently on their ways to Jindo. One departed Wednesday night and all three cranes are expected to arrive by tomorrow.
They'll work in tandem to lift the 68-hundred-ton ferry out of the water.
And we're all waiting anxiously for updates from the government. How are government officials helping with the search?
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won held a cabinet meeting this morning, calling for all related ministries to do all they can to speed up rescue operations.
The securities ministry has sent 39 of its officials down to the area to help out in various ways, while the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae canceled all scheduled meetings this morning.
We will of course continue to monitor the developments in the search-and-rescue efforts,... while continuing to hope for the very best in this very difficult time.
Connie Kim, reporting live from the emergency disaster center in Seoul.
