[News Today] River Bus goes off course, 82 rescued

[LEAD]
A Hangang Bus veered off course and got stuck on a shallow riverbed. All 82 passengers were rescued after waiting for nearly an hour. The service had just resumed two weeks ago after being suspended due to a previous accident. With another mishap, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has ordered a full investigation and safety review.

[REPORT]
The Hangang Bus stands still in the middle of the river.

Startled passengers can be seen moving to a rescue boat.

At approximately the same time, passengers inside the ferry put on life jackets at the rescue workers' instructions and waited to be rescued.

They took the ride to enjoy their weekend, but it turned into a nightmare.

Kim Yeon-kyu / Passenger of Hangang Bus
There was a thump and strong vibrations for about a second. The defibrillator fell, the ceiling shook and shopping bags toppled.

There were no casualties among the 82 passengers, but they had to wait for one hour to be rescued.

Rescue worker /
You may return home unless you need medical help.

The vessel ground to a halt about 118m from the Jamsil dock. It's an area where caution is required during navigation due to shallow water and gas pipelines buried underneath.

Based on water level data collected by divers, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has found that the vessel deviated from its designated route and went aground on the shallow riverbed.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to operate the Hangang Bus only between Magok and Yeouido for the time being.

The vessel will be moved on Wednesday evening during high tide.

Park Jin-young / Seoul Metropolitan Gov't
We plan to resume operations after ensuring sufficient water level, absence of foreign objects and safety.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and a review of safety measures.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has apologized for the anxiety and inconvenience caused by the accident.

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