The sudden sinking of a ferry carrying 475 passengers off South Korea’s southern coast brings up the question: How can a large, modern passenger ship just sink?
A number of things can cause such a vessel to go down, from running aground on the ocean floor, to cargo shifting and capsizing the ship. Once the damage is done, ship officials must act quickly to evacuate passengers to avert a disaster, maritime experts say.
Millions of passengers take to the sea each year aboard ferries and cruise ships, and most of the time, the vessels return them safely to port. But from the sinking of the South Korean ferry to the Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia to the Titanic, disasters do occur. And when they do, the results can be tragic, Live Science informs.
