South Korea: 2 dead, 295 missing as ferry sinks

The government says 295 people are still missing several hours after a ferry carrying 477, most of them high school students, sank in cold waters off South Korea's southern coast. Officials say at least two died and seven were injured.

A government official earlier said that more than 100 people were still unaccounted for Wednesday, but officials later changed the number to 295.

There were fears of a big jump in the number of deaths, as dozens of boats, helicopters and divers scrambled to rescue passengers who had been on the ferry travelling to the southern island of Jeju.

One rescued passenger said he believed that many people were trapped inside the ferry when it sank.