298th South Korean ferry disaster victim identified

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

A teenage girl has been identified as the 298th confirmed victim of one of South Korea’s worst ever maritime disasters, according to officials from the Sewol ferry search headquarters Thursday.

16-year-old Cho Eun-hwa’s bones were found on the fourth floor of the Sewol, which was only cleared for a dry search last month.

The girl was among hundreds of students on a school field trip when the Sewol sank off the country’s southwest coast on Apr. 16, 2014.

Local media identified Cho citing DNA evidence nearly two weeks ago but the National Forensic Service needed more time to verify the finding.

295 out of 304 reported Sewol victims were recovered in 2014. Of nine passengers, initially unaccounted for, three have been identified this month including Cho.