Editor's note: A ship carrying 456 people sank in China's Yangtze River en route from Nanjing in eastern China to Chongqing in southwestern China on June 1. According to the captain and chief engineer, who were among the first ten people rescued, the ship had been caught in a cyclone.
Though many ships today are well-equipped with advanced technology, they are not immune to sudden changes in the weather and waters, nor can they always avoid the consequences of human negligence. The following are some of the largest shipwrecks that took place in recent years.
1. MV Sewol, South Korea
The Sewol sank on the morning of April 16, 2014 in the waters of Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The ferry capsized while carrying 476 people, most of whom were secondary school students on a class trip. In all, 295 people died and nine went missing. The wreck of the Sewol is the most deadly maritime accident in South Korea in decades.