A South Korean passenger ferry carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members has run aground on rocks off the country's southeast coast.
The Queen Jenuvia 2 is stuck on a reef and unable to move; however, the shocking incident poses no risk of sinking or capsizing, according to the Coast Guard.
Moreover, the accident happened near Jangsan Island in Sinan County on Wednesday evening, November 19, and people are currently being moved to patrol boats.
Local media reported that five people sustained minor injuries from the impact of the grounding, but there have been no other casualties.
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has ordered all available vessels to be mobilised to rescue the ferry.
"We have confirmed that there is currently no flooding. We are transferring passengers to patrol boats and moving them to a safe location," a Coast Guard official said, Chosun Ilbo newspaper reports.
The Coast Guard plans to move the vessel ashore at high tide.
Notably, the ferry was travelling to the port city of Mokpo after departing from the resort island of Jeju, and the area is near the site of the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 that killed over 300 people, mostly children on their school trip.
