Anger, Grief Marks Koreatown Prayer Vigil For Victims Of Sunken Ferry
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Community and religious groups hosted a prayer vigil Tuesday in Koreatown for victims who were aboard a South Korean ferry boat that capsized earlier this month.
KNX 1070's Megan Goldsby reports the memorial held at the Korean American Senior Community Center comes amid reports that the death toll in the disaster has risen to at least 120 victims.
Members of the Los Angeles Wilshire Center Koreatown and Neighborhood Council and California Missionary Baptist State Convention took part in the service, with some attendees carrying signs that read "We Need A Miracle" and "Pray For Rescue".
South Korean officials said Monday their earlier conclusion that the ferry Sewol - which capsized on April 16 - had made a sharp turn shortly before the disaster was incorrect, and that the vessel made a less severe turn than initially reported, CBS News reported.
It remains unclear why the ship turned around shortly before it sank, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing.
Susan Lee with the Koreatown Neighborhood Council said reports that the crew may have been to blame for not evacuating the ferry of teens sooner are very troubling.
"We are very angry," Lee said. "I have a 16-year-old, so soon as I heard that I was crying, my son was crying."
According to CBS News, the captain of the Sewol initially told passengers to stay in their rooms and waited more than half an hour to issue an evacuation order as the Sewol sank. By that point, the ship had tilted so much it is believed that many passengers were trapped inside.
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