Another South Korean ferry disaster fatality identified

Alex Jensen

SEOUL

The 297th victim of South Korea’s Sewol ferry tragedy was identified Friday as a teenage high school student, according to officials cited by local media.

17-year-old Heo Da-yoon’s remains were found intact in the Sewol’s wreckage after it was salvaged around three years after sinking off the country’s southwest coast on April 16, 2014.

Yonhap News Agency reported forensic tests by medical experts confirmed her identity just days after verifying that a bone discovered at the site of the disaster belonged to missing teacher Ko Chang-seok.

Seven victims of the tragedy remain unaccounted for including a six-year-old boy and his father.

They had been bound from Incheon for the southern resort island of Jeju on the day of the sinking. Most of the passengers on board were students on a high school trip, while questions surrounding the government’s response to the incident fueled public anger ahead of the impeachment of ex-President Park Geun-hye.

Further testing is being carried out to clarify the identity of another set of remains earlier claimed to be those of 16-year-old Cho Eun-hwa.