The entire people of the Republic of Korea are sorrow-stricken over the victims of the Sewol Ferry sinking that occurred on April 16, 2014 off the coast of Jindo Island on the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula.
What hurts the people more is the fact that most of the victims were the high-school students who boarded the ship on an excursion trip to Jeju Island.
Out of the total 476 persons on board, so far (as of May 7, 2014) 174 have been rescued, 34 were missing and 268 confirmed drowned to death.
Some 1.5 million persons have visited the incense altars set up in various localities across the country.
Various cultural, sports and other events have been cancelled in expression of condolences over the tragic incident, which include some hosted by the embassies.
The mourning was joined also by the ambassadors and other members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps with condolence messages. Here are the mourning messages received from various ambassadors in Seoul:
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
The Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, has sent a condolence message to the President of the Republic of Korea, Her Excellency Park Geun-hye, on the recent tragic sinking of the Korean passenger ship (Sewol ferry). The Prime Minister has conveyed deepest condolence on his own behalf and on the behalf of the people of Pakistan. He has also conveyed sympathies and prayers for the aggrieved families.
Zahid Nasrullah Khan
Ambassador
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan
The United Arab Emirates:First of all, I and Colonel Saeed Alanaqbi extend our sincere sympathy to the bereaved family members and to the South Korean government due to the tragic accident of ferry “Sewol” sinking. It is all the more heart wrenching to learn that hundreds of students were on board, whose precious lives were lost.
As we share our saddened hearts with people of Korea, we thought that it is untimely to proceed with an upcoming reception for the 38th Armed Forces Day of the United Arab Emirates thus made a discreet decision to cancel it.
Please accept our apology for any inconvenience this may cause you. We also appreciate for those who responded kindly to our invitation and promise to invite you all in the UAE Armed Forces Day for the coming years.
Our thoughts are with people in Korea in this time of sorrow, and once again, we apologize for this inconvenience. We thank you for your generous understanding in advance.
Abdulla Alromaithi
Ambassador
The United Arab Emirates
The Republic of Ghana:On the sad occasion of the unfortunate ferry disaster that has claimed many young and innocent lives, the Embassy of Ghana conveys its heartfelt condolences to the government and people of the Republic of Korea, especially the bereaved families.
The Embassy of Ghana joins the people of the Republic of Korea in mourning and praying for the souls of those who lost their lives in this tragic loss and also prays for strength and courage for the whole nation and bereaved families in this challenging national disaster.
We all take consolation in the knowledge that in this moment of extreme adversity, pain and despair, the people of Korea have remained strong and courageous in taking steps to search for survivors.
Louisa Hanson
Charge d’Affaires
The Republic of Ghana