South Korea ferry carrying 350 'sinking'

Yonhap news agency said most of the passengers were secondary school students on their way to the southern resort island of Jeju. It said the ferry had sent out a distress signal about 20km (12 miles) off the island of Byungpoong. Coastguard officials say a rescue operation has been launched, BBC News reports. The ferry is reported to be listing at a severe angle. "The ship is taking in water and sinking," a coastguard spokesman told AFP news agency by phone. "We have coastguard vessels, commercial ships in the area, as well as helicopters all engaged in the rescue operation," the spokesman said. One passenger told the YTN news channel: "We heard a big thumping sound and the boat stopped. "The boat is tilting and we have to hold on to something to stay seated," the passenger said.