South Korean president apologizes for response to ferry sinking
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
South Korean President apologizes for "insufficiency in efforts made to prevent the accident"
She also apologizes for the initial response to the ferry sinking
"We'll fix the problems and change our practices," Park Geun-hye says
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The web of blame in the South Korean ferry sinking is getting wider, and now the country's president is accepting some of the heat.
President Park Geun-hye apologized to the nation Tuesday over the government's initial response to the Sewol ferry tragedy.
"I am losing sleep as there is no news about saving more lives and because there are many families who don't know whether their loved ones are dead or alive still," the president said.
A girl in Seoul, South Korea, holds a candle during a service paying tribute to the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol on Wednesday, April 30. More than 200 bodies have been found and nearly 100 people remain missing after the ferry sank April 16 off South Korea's southwest coast.
Yellow ribbons honoring the victims flap in the wind as a hearse carrying a victim's body leaves Danwon High School in Ansan on April 24. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.
"I am at a loss for words for an apology that can be enough to console the pain and suffering even for a little while over insufficiency in efforts made to prevent the accident and also in the initial response to the accident," she added.
"I am sorry, and my heart is heavy that so many precious lives are lost because of the accident."
Videos capturing ferry's final moments fuel fresh outrage over ship's fate
Earlier Tuesday, Park attended a memorial in Ansan, the Seoul suburb where hundreds of students on board the ship were from. She talked to family members and laid flowers at the memorial site.
"We'll fix the problems and change our practices so we'll have safer nation and won't let them die in vain," Park said.
The ferry sank April 16 on the country's southwest coast. The number of dead now stands at 210. Another 92 are still missing.
"All we are asking for is, 'Bring the dead bodies out,'" a father wailed Tuesday. "We know they are not alive now."
On Monday, South Korean authorities arrested three people on suspicion of destroying evidence connected to the ferry sinking. Investigators also raided a Coast Guard office in a probe of how officials handled the first emergency call from a passenger.
The director and two other people with the Korea Shipping Association's Incheon office were arrested and accused of destroying evidence related to the probe of Chonghaejin, the company that owns the ferry.
The Korea Shipping Association is a trade group that promotes the interests of the country's shipping industry.
The site raided was the Coast Guard building in Mokpo, which includes the South Jeolla province emergency center -- a facility that provides 119 services, akin to the 911 emergency service in the United States.
Investigators are looking into possible dereliction of duty.
By Andrew Stevens, Steven Jiang and Holly Yan, CNN
April 29, 2014 -- Updated 2236 GMT (0636 HKT)
South Korean President apologizes over ferry response
中国 新疆ウイグル自治区の駅で爆発4月30日 22時15分
中国国営の新華社通信の英語版によりますと、日本時間の３０日午後８時ごろ、西部、新疆ウイグル自治区の中心都市、ウルムチにある鉄道の駅で爆発がありました。
この爆発で死傷者が出ているかどうかは分かっていません。
ウルムチの住民によりますと、市内はこの駅に通じる道路を中心に多くの車で渋滞しているということです。
新疆ウイグル自治区には、イスラム教を信じる少数民族のウイグル族が多く暮らしていますが、宗教や少数民族に関する中国政府の政策に不満を募らせており、現地では、ウイグル族の住民と当局の間でたびたび衝突が起きていたと伝えられていました。
新疆ウイグル自治区には、習近平国家主席が２７日から３０日まで就任後初めて視察に訪れ、テロ対策を強化し治安維持を徹底するよう指示を出していたほか、政府として少数民族との団結を重視する姿勢を強調していました。
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