Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The government has bowed to pressure to raise the 6,825 tonne vessel (there is no sound on this video)

A ferry has been raised from the sea bed, three years after it sank in one of South Korea's deadliest disasters.

The Sewol sank off the south-western island of Jindo on 16 April 2014 killing 304 people, almost all school children on a trip.

It has been winched to the surface so a platform can be inserted under it for it to be towed ashore.

It is expected to arrive at port in less than two weeks, where it will be met by the families of victims.

Image copyright Hankook Daily via Getty Images Image caption Raising the vessel was one of the key demands of the families of the victims

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The complex operation is one of the largest ever attempted

The bodies of nine victims are believed to still be trapped inside the sunken ship, and raising it was one of the central demands of their families.

The government bowed to pressure to raise the 6,825 tonne vessel, one of the most complex operations ever attempted, said the the BBC's Stephen Evans on Jindo Island.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Relatives of the victims watched the salvage operation off the Jindo island

The 16-year-old daughter of Huh Hong-Hwan was one victim whose remains were never found.

"To see the Sewol again, I can't describe how I'm feeling right now," Mr Huh told the AFP news agency as he watched the raising of the ship from a boat nearby.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Hundreds of workers in a Chinese salvage team were involved in the raising

The sinking was blamed on a combination of illegal redesigns, cargo overloading, the inexperience of the crew member steering the vessel, and lax government regulations. The ship's captain was later convicted of murder.

Image copyright Reuters/Korea Coast Guard Image caption Former President Park Geun-hye came under intense pressure over the sinking at the time

Anger over the response of the authorities after the disaster contributed to the unpopularity of former President Park Geun-hye, who was recently ousted.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea begins salvaging ferry that sank in 2014, killing more than 300 people.</s>An extensive South Korean salvage operation Thursday successfully raised the Sewol ferry, which capsized nearly three years ago, killing more than 300 passengers, many of them high school students.

“At 4:47am we lifted (the Sewol) 22 meters and entire body of the ferry started to show for the first time above the surface,” said Lee Cheol-jo, an official in charge of salvage operation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The sinking of the Sewol, with 476 passengers on board, during a routine journey from Incheon to the holiday resort of Jeju Island, April 16, 2014, triggered national outrage over the deadly accident that was later determined to be caused in part by greed, incompetence and negligence.

The ferry on that day was dangerously overloaded, hauling 3,608 tons of cargo despite a maximum cargo limit of 987 tons. It’s excessive weight made the vessel less stable, and it capsized while attempting to execute a turn at a high speed.

Many of the 250 teenagers, who died while on a school trip, were instructed by crewmembers to remain in their cabin, even as the crew abandoned ship. The ship’s captain Lee Joon-seok, who also abandoned ship, was later convicted of gross negligence and sentenced to life in prison, while 14 other crew members were sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for abandonment and violating maritime law.

The South Korean coast guard’s slow and indecisive rescue efforts also came under criticism. Officers later claimed they lacked the proper training and equipment to mount such a large-scale rescue effort at sea.

And public confidence in the government of then-President Park Geun-hye plummeted, and never recovered, over her perceived ineffective management of the crisis, and her own mysterious disappearance when she made no public statement or appearance for seven hours while the ferry was sinking.

The South Korean National Assembly cited Park’s negligence in handling the Sewol disaster, along with her alleged connection to a multimillion-dollar bribery scandal, when it voted to impeach the president in December. The Constitutional Court recently upheld the impeachment motion and a new presidential election is scheduled for May 9.

Families of the Sewol victims have been calling for the ship to be raised and for a more thorough investigation into the disaster.

The Sewol sunk in the Yellow Sea near the southeastern Island of Jindo. The salvage efforts to recover the 6,800 ton ferry had been delayed in part because of rough conditions at sea and complicated by requirements set to bring up the vessel intact, so as to aid the investigation into the cause of the accident, and to preserve any bodies that may still be on board. Nine victims are still unaccounted for.

A Chinese salvage company fitted 33 beams beneath the hull and used 66 hydraulic jacks to raise the hull of the ship, which was lying on its left side at a depth of 40 meters below the sea.

The recovered vessel will soon be moved to the nearby port of Mokpo on the mainland.

“We are calculating that it will take about 12 to 13 days to move the ferry to dry dock of Mokpo port,” said Lee with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

, the head of a group representing the families of the Sewol victims, released a statement Thursday urging the government to “work on recovery of the missing victims first.”

The group also wants more government transparency and participation by opposition parties and victim’s families in the investigation process.

Lee Kum-hee, whose daughter is one of the nine victims unaccounted for, was on hand to witness the recovery. Moved to tears by the sight of the ferry being raised, she said, “it’s heart breaking, how cold she’s been there.”</s>Workers prepare to lift the sunken Sewol ferry in waters off Jindo, South Korea, Thursday, March 23, 2017. South Korean workers on Thursday slowly pulled up a 6,800-ton ferry from the water, nearly three years after it capsized and sank into the violent seas off South Korea's southwestern coast, an emotional moment for a country that continues to search for closure to one of its deadliest disasters ever. (Lee Jin-wook/Yonhap via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 6,800-ton South Korean ferry emerged from the water on Thursday, nearly three years after it capsized and sank into violent seas off the country's southwestern coast, an emotional moment for the country that continues to search for closure to one of its deadliest disasters ever.

More than 300 people — most of whom were students on a high school trip — died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, touching off an outpouring of national grief and soul searching about long-ignored public safety and regulatory failures. The public outrage over what was seen as a botched rescue job by the government contributed to the recent ouster of Park Geun-hye as president.

Workers on two barges began the salvaging operation Wednesday night, rolling up 66 cables connected to a frame of metal beams divers spent months putting beneath the ferry, which had been lying on its left side in about 44 meters (144 feet) of water.

By 3:45 a.m., Sewol's stabilizer surfaced from the water. About an hour later, the blue-and-white right side of ferry, rusty and scratched and its name "SEWOL" no longer visible from where it was, emerged for the first time in more than 1,000 days.

By about 7 a.m., the ferry had been raised enough for workers to climb on it and further fasten it to the barges.

Lee Cheoljo, an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, told reporters that workers will need until late afternoon or the evening to raise the ferry until its upper side is about 13 meters (42 feet) above the surface.

Workers had initially planned to do this by Thursday morning, but were forced to a temporarily halt when the ferry began rubbing against pulleys and other equipment on the barges as it came up, Lee said. He said workers will resume lifting the ferry once they finish balancing operations that could take several hours.

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Once Sewol is raised to the desired point, salvage crews will then load the ferry onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to a mainland port. The loading process, including emptying the ferry of water and fuel, is expected to take days.

The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking on April 16, 2014, but nine are still missing. Relatives, some of whom who are watching from two fishing boats just outside the operation area, are hoping that those remains will be found inside the ferry.

"I can see it. I can see where my daughter is," Park Eun-mi, the mother of a missing 17-year-old girl, told a television crew as her boat approached the salvaging site on Wednesday. Lee Geum-hee, the mother of another missing student, said, "We just want one thing — for the ship to be pulled up so that we can take our children home."

Once the ferry reaches a port 90 kilometers (55 miles) away in the city of Mokpo, in about two weeks, workers will begin clearing the mud and debris and search for the remains of the missing victims. An investigation committee will also be formed to search for clues that could further explain the cause of the sinking, which has been blamed on overloaded cargo, improper storage and other negligence.

A group representing the families of the victims issued a statement demanding that it be part of the investigation committee. Many bereaved family members and their supporters have been demanding a more thorough investigation into the government's responsibility over the sinking, questioning why higher-level officials have not been held accountable.

The ferry's captain survived and is serving a life sentence after a court found him guilty of committing homicide through "willful negligence" because he fled the ship without issuing an evacuation order.

Park was forced to defend herself against accusations that she was out of contact for several hours on the day of the sinking. The allegations were included in an impeachment bill lawmakers passed against Park in December, amid broader corruption suspicions.

Park was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court earlier this month. She is now under criminal investigation over suspicions that she conspired with a confidante to extort money and favors from companies and allow the friend to secretly interfere with state affairs.

Salvaging the huge, corroded ferry from a channel notorious for dangerous currents has been a difficult and expensive job. South Korea agreed in 2015 to an 85.1 billion won ($76 million) deal with a consortium led by China's state-run Shanghai Salvage Co. to do it.

While many large shipwrecks around the world have first been cut into sections to be raised, this was never an option for Sewol because there are hopes of finding the remains of the missing victims inside the wreckage.</s>SEOUL, South Korea — A 6,800-ton South Korean ferry emerged from the water on Thursday, nearly three years after it capsized and sank into violent seas off the country's southwestern coast, an emotional moment for the country that continues to search for closure to one of its deadliest disasters ever.

More than 300 people — most of whom were students on a high school trip — died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, touching off an outpouring of national grief and soul searching about long-ignored public safety and regulatory failures. The public outrage over what was seen as a botched rescue job by the government contributed to the recent ouster of Park Geun-hye as president.

Workers on two barges began the salvaging operation Wednesday night, rolling up 66 cables connected to a frame of metal beams divers spent months putting beneath the ferry, which had been lying on its left side in about 40 meters (130 feet) of water.

By 3:45 a.m., Sewol's stabilizer surfaced from the water. About an hour later, the blue-and-white right side of ferry, rusty and scratched and its name "SEWOL" no longer visible from where it was, emerged for the first time in more than 1,000 days.

By about 7 a.m., the ferry had been raised enough for workers to climb on it and further fasten it to the barges.

Lee Cheoljo, an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, told reporters that workers will need until late afternoon or the evening to raise the ferry until its upper side is about 13 meters (42 feet) above the surface.

Salvage crews will then load the ferry onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to a mainland port. The loading process, including emptying the ferry of water and fuel, is expected to take days.

The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking on April 16, 2014, but nine are still missing. Relatives, some of whom who are watching from two fishing boats just outside the operation area, are hoping that those remains will be found inside the ferry.

"I can see it. I can see where my daughter is," Park Eun-mi, the mother of a missing 17-year-old girl, told a television crew as her boat approached the salvaging site on Wednesday. Lee Geum-hee, the mother of another missing student, said, "We just want one thing — for the ship to be pulled up so that we can take our children home."

Once the ferry reaches a port 90 kilometers (55 miles) away in the city of Mokpo, in about two weeks, workers will begin clearing the mud and debris and search for the remains of the missing victims. An investigation committee will also be formed to search for clues that could further explain the cause of the sinking, which has been blamed on overloaded cargo, improper storage and other negligence.

The ferry's captain survived and is serving a life sentence after a court found him guilty of committing homicide through "willful negligence" because he fled the ship without issuing an evacuation order.

Park was forced to defend herself against accusations that she was out of contact for several hours on the day of the sinking. The allegations were included in an impeachment bill lawmakers passed against Park in December, amid broader corruption suspicions.

Park was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court earlier this month. She is now under criminal investigation over suspicions that she conspired with a confidante to extort money and favors from companies and allow the friend to secretly interfere with state affairs.

South Korea in 2015 agreed to an 85.1 billion won ($76 million) deal with a consortium led by China's state-run Shanghai Salvage Co. to raise the Sewol.

 The government initially planned to salvage the ferry by the end of last year, but the process was delayed due to strong currents and unfavorable weather conditions.</s>Workers prepare to lift the sunken Sewol ferry in waters off Jindo, South Korea, Thursday, March 23, 2017. South Korean workers on Thursday slowly pulled up a 6,800-ton ferry from the water, nearly three years after it capsized and sank into the violent seas off South Korea's southwestern coast, an emotional moment for a country that continues to search for closure to one of its deadliest disasters ever.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Gazette.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 6,800-ton South Korean ferry was hoisted to the surface Thursday nearly three years after it capsized and sank into violent seas off the country’s southwestern coast, an emotional moment for the country as it searches for closure to one of its deadliest disasters.

More than 300 people – most of whom were students on a high school trip – died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, touching off an outpouring of national grief and soul searching about long-ignored public safety and regulatory failures. Public outrage over what was seen as a botched rescue job by the government contributed to the recent ouster of Park Geun-hye as president.

Workers on two barges began the salvaging operation Wednesday night, rolling up 66 cables connected to a frame of metal beams divers spent months putting beneath the ferry, which had been lying on its side in about 44 meters (145 feet) of water.

By 3:45 a.m., Sewol’s stabilizer surfaced from the water. About an hour later, the blue-and-white right side of the ship, rusty and scratched and its painted name “SEWOL” no longer visible, emerged for the first time in more than 1,000 days.

By about 7 a.m., the ferry had been raised enough for workers to climb on it and fasten it further to the barges. As of 5 p.m., the top of the ferry was about 8.5 meters (27 feet) above the water’s surface.

The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking, but nine are still missing. Relatives, some of whom were watching from two fishing boats just outside the operation area, hope those remains will be found inside the ferry. Some cried as they took turns watching the emerging wreckage with telescopes.

“I shouted in joy when we heard that the ship surfaced at dawn. I thought we finally can find the missing nine,” Lee Geum-hee, the mother of a missing school girl, told a television crew.

“But when I actually saw the ship coming up, I was devastated. All this time my poor child was in that cold, dirty place. It was heart wrenching.”

Lee Cheoljo, an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said workers need to raise the ferry until its upper side is about 13 meters (42 feet) above the surface.

Workers had initially planned to do this by Thursday morning, but were forced to halt temporarily when the ferry began rubbing against pulleys and other equipment on the barges as it came up, Lee said. They resumed hoisting the ferry after spending hours to better balance it.

Once Sewol is raised to the desired height, salvage crews will load it onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to a mainland port. The loading process, including emptying the ferry of water and fuel, is expected to take days.

Once the ferry reaches the port 90 kilometers (55 miles) away in the city of Mokpo in about two weeks, workers will begin clearing mud and debris and search for the remains of the missing victims. An investigation committee will also search for clues that could further explain the cause of the sinking, which has been blamed on overloaded cargo, improper storage and other negligence.

A group representing the families of the victims issued a statement demanding that it be part of the investigation committee. Many bereaved family members and their supporters have been demanding a more thorough investigation of the government’s responsibility in the sinking, questioning why higher-level officials have not been held accountable.

The ferry’s captain survived and is serving a life sentence after a court found him guilty of committing homicide through “willful negligence” because he fled the ship without issuing an evacuation order.

Ousted President Park was forced to defend herself against accusations that she was out of contact for several hours on the day of the sinking. The allegations were included in an impeachment bill lawmakers passed against Park in December, amid broader corruption suspicions.

Park was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court earlier this month. She is now under criminal investigation over suspicions that she conspired with a confidante to extort money and favors from companies and allow the friend to secretly interfere with state affairs.

In a meeting with Cabinet ministers, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, the acting head of state, urged officials to do their best to ensure a successful salvaging of the ferry, and instructed them to plan a thorough and quick investigation once the ship reaches the Mokpo port.

Salvaging the huge, corroded ferry from a channel notorious for dangerous currents has been a difficult and expensive job. South Korea agreed in 2015 to an 85.1 billion won ($76 million) deal with a consortium led by China’s state-run Shanghai Salvage Co. to do it.

While many large shipwrecks around the world have first been cut into sections to be raised, this was never an option for Sewol because there are hopes of finding the remains of the missing victims inside the wreckage.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A 6,800-ton South Korean ferry was hoisted to the surface Thursday nearly three years after it capsized and sank in violent seas off the country’s southwestern coast, an emotional moment for the country as it searches for closure to one of its deadliest disasters.

But just when it seemed that the salvaging operation was going smoothly, workers discovered that a vehicle ramp was unlocked and dangling from the ship’s left side. That forced a delay that could jeopardize the delicate operation to transport the corroded ship back to land.

More than 300 people — most of whom were students on a high school trip — died when the Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, touching off an outpouring of national grief and soul searching about long-ignored public safety and regulatory failures. Public outrage over what was seen as a botched rescue job by the government contributed to the recent ouster of Park Geun-hye as president.

Salvage crews had planned to raise the Sewol until its upper side is about 13 meters (42 feet) above the water’s surface by Thursday evening so it could be loaded onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that would carry it to a mainland port.

Lee Cheoljo, an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said divers were trying to cut off the ramp with welding equipment because it wasn’t possible to fit the ferry into the transport vessel with the ramp hanging down. He said it was vital for the divers to finish the job by Friday morning so the crew will have enough time to load the ferry by midnight Friday.

The waters where the ferry sank are notorious for dangerous currents. The sea is relatively calm now, but currents are forecast to strengthen on Saturday.

Lee said the Sewol, which had been lying on its left side in about 44 meters (145 feet) of water, was 10 meters (33 feet) above surface when the lifting process was halted Thursday night.

He said workers may face a decision on whether to continue the salvaging operation if the ferry isn’t loaded on the vessel by Friday.

“All we can do now is to concentrate all the personnel and equipment we have so that the ramp is cut off by the morning of March 24,” Lee said.

Workers on two barges began the salvaging operation Wednesday night, rolling up 66 cables connected to a frame of metal beams divers spent months placing beneath the ferry.

The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking, but nine are still missing. Relatives, some of whom were watching from two fishing boats just outside the operation area, hope those remains will be found inside the ferry. Some cried as they took turns watching the emerging wreckage with telescopes.

“I shouted in joy when we heard that the ship surfaced at dawn. I thought we finally can find the missing nine,” Lee Geum-hee, the mother of a missing school girl, told a television crew.

“But when I actually saw the ship coming up, I was devastated. All this time my poor child was in that cold, dirty place. It was heart wrenching.”

If the Sewol is successfully loaded onto the transport vessel, it would take days to empty the ferry of water and fuel, and another two weeks for it to reach a port about 90 kilometers (55 miles) away in the city of Mokpo.

Workers will then begin clearing mud and debris and search for the remains of the missing victims. An investigation committee will also search for clues that could further explain the cause of the sinking, which has been blamed on overloaded cargo, improper storage and other negligence.

A group representing the families of the victims issued a statement demanding that it be part of the investigation committee. Many bereaved family members and their supporters have been demanding a more thorough investigation of the government’s responsibility in the sinking, questioning why higher-level officials have not been held accountable.

The ferry’s captain survived and is serving a life sentence after a court found him guilty of committing homicide through “willful negligence” because he fled the ship without issuing an evacuation order.

Ousted President Park was forced to defend herself against accusations that she was out of contact for several hours on the day of the sinking. The allegations were included in an impeachment bill lawmakers passed against Park in December, amid broader corruption suspicions.

Park was formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court earlier this month. She is now under criminal investigation over suspicions that she conspired with a confidante to extort money and favors from companies and allow the friend to secretly interfere with state affairs.

Salvaging the huge, corroded ferry from a channel notorious for dangerous currents has been a difficult and expensive job. South Korea agreed in 2015 to an 85.1 billion won ($76 million) deal with a consortium led by China’s state-run Shanghai Salvage Co. to do it.

While many large shipwrecks around the world have first been cut into sections to be raised, this was never an option for Sewol because there are hopes of finding the remains of the missing victims inside the wreckage.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The latest on South Korean efforts to raise a ferry that sank nearly three years ago, killing more than 300 people (all times local):

South Korean officials say efforts to raise a 6,800-ton ferry from waters off the country's southwestern coast are going well after an earlier delay.

The ferry Sewol sank in April 2014, killing more than 300 people, including many students on a high school trip.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that the top of the ferry was 8.5 meters (27 feet) above the water's surface at 5 p.m.

Workers are planning to raise the Sewol until its upper side is about 13 meters (42 feet) above the surface. Salvage crews will then start loading the ferry onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to port.

Workers had initially planned to finish raising the Sewol in the morning, but were forced to stop temporarily when it began rubbing against pulleys and other equipment on the two barges hoisting it with cables. They resumed lifting the ferry after spending hours to better balance it.

South Korean officials say salvage crews have resumed raising a 6,800-ton ferry Sewol off the country's southwestern coast.

Workers had halted the process for several hours after the ferry began rubbing against the pulleys and other equipment on the two barges that are raising it with cables.

An official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the problem has reduced following operations to better balance on the ferry. He said the top of the ferry is currently six meters (19 feet) above the water surface.

Workers are planning to raise the ferry until its upper side reaches about 13 meters (42 feet) above the surface. Salvage crews will then start loading the ferry onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to port.

South Korea's acting head of state has urged government officials to do their best to ensure a successful job salvaging the Sewol ferry.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn in meeting with Cabinet ministers on Thursday also called for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and other agencies to plan a thorough and quick investigation into the ship once it reaches a port.

The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking on April 16, 2014, but nine are still missing. Relatives are hoping those remains will be found inside the ferry.

An investigation committee will also be formed to search for clues that could further explain the cause of the sinking, which has been blamed on overloaded cargo, improper storage and other negligence.

Hwang has been the government caretaker since South Korean lawmakers passed an impeachment motion against former President Park Geun-hye in December over a corruption scandal. The country's Constitutional Court formally removed Park from office earlier this month, triggering a presidential by-election that was set for May 9.

A South Korean group representing the families of ferry disaster victims has issued a statement thanking salvaging crews for lifting the 6,800-ton Sewol from the waters, nearly three years after it sank off the country's southwestern coast in an accident that killed 304 passengers.

The group called for the government to come up with more detailed plans to reduce damage to the wreckage during the salvage operation to preserve the remains of the missing passengers that might be inside.

The group demanded that it be part of a committee that will further investigate the cause of the sinking, which was blamed on overloaded cargo, improper storage and other negligence.

The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking, but nine are still missing. Relatives are hoping that those remains will be found inside the ferry.

A South Korean government official says salvage crews will need until the late afternoon or evening Thursday to raise a sunken ferry to a point where they could start the process of loading it onto a vessel that will carry it to a mainland port.

Lee Cheoljo, an official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said that workers have temporarily stopped raising the 6,800-ton Sewol after it began rubbing against pulleys and other equipment on the two barges that are raising it with cables. Lee said workers are conducting balancing operations that could take several hours.

Workers had hoped to finish raising the ferry by morning. Lee said the ferry has so far been lifted 24 meters (79 feet) from the seafloor, but needs to be elevated 11 meters (36 feet) further so its upper side reaches about 13 meters (42 feet) above the surface. Salvage crews will then begin loading the ferry onto a semi-submersible, heavy-lift vessel that will carry it to a port.</s>South Korea´s sunken Sewol ferry emerged from the waters Thursday, nearly three years after it went down with the loss of more than 300 lives and dealt a crushing blow to now-ousted president Park Geun-Hye.

Television pictures showed one side of the 6,825-tonne vessel, with deep gashes in its rusted structure, above the waves between two giant salvage barges.

The complex operation -- one of the largest raisings of an entire ship ever attempted -- comes as the third anniversary approaches of one of the country's worst-ever maritime disasters.

Almost all the dead were schoolchildren and it is thought that nine bodies still unaccounted for may be trapped inside the sunken ship. Raising the ferry intact has been a key demand of the families of the victims.

Several relatives watched the much-anticipated operation unfolding from a boat near the site.

"To see the Sewol again, I can't describe how I'm feeling right now," said Huh Hong-Hwan, whose 16-year-old daughter was killed in the accident. Her body has not been found.

Huh and his wife have for years maintained a bitter, defiant vigil in Jindo along with a handful of other relatives of missing victims.

"It took so long," Huh said.

Other bereaved family members have kept watch at a camp on a hilltop on Donggeochado -- the nearest island to the site, just 1.5 kilometres (a mile) away.

Dozens of salvage operators walked over the hull after it came to the surface, television pictures showed.

"Workers are on the Sewol ferry to fasten it to the barge," Seoul's maritime ministry said in an emailed statement.

About 450 workers are involved in the Herculean efforts to lift the ship, which now weighs between 8,000-8,500 tonnes including the silt piled up inside.

Once the ferry is brought up sufficiently high, it will be moved onto a semi-submersible ship, which will carry it to the port of Mokpo.

"We believe that it will take about 12 to 13 days to lift the ship and move it to Mokpo," said Lee Cheol-Jo, the ministry official in charge of the operation.

The vessel was lying more than 40 metres (130 feet) below the waves off southwestern South Korea and the operation, originally scheduled for last year, had been pushed back several times because of adverse weather.

The Sewol disaster left the country deeply traumatised and was a cripping blow to the now-ousted leader Park Geun-Hye, whose dismissal was confirmed by Seoul's top court only two weeks ago.

She stayed at her residence for the first few critical hours after the disaster while officials were frantically sending updates and asking for guidance.

She has never specified what she was doing for the seven hours, sparking wild rumours including a tryst and cosmetic surgery.

A permanent Sewol protest site targeting her was subsequently set up in the centre of Seoul, with effigies of the head of state on display alongside pictures of the dead schoolchildren.

Investigations into the disaster, in which 304 people died, concluded it was largely man-made -- the cumulative result of an illegal redesign, an overloaded cargo bay, inexperienced crew and a questionable relationship between the ship operators and state regulators.

Even though the vessel took around three hours to sink, many of those on board never heard any evacuation order, while the crew were among the first to escape to safety.

Captain Lee Jun-Seok was sentenced to life in prison for "murder through wilful negligence" and 14 other crew members were given terms ranging from two to 12 years.
The South Korean government raises the wreckage of the MV Sewol from the sea near the South Korean island of Donggeochado. The ferry sank in April 2014, killing 304 people.