Mourners queue to pay tribute to victims of ferry sinking

A large number of mourners queued in front of a joint memorial altar established at a gymnasium in Ansan, south of Seoul, Thursday, to pay tribute to victims of the sinking of the ferry Sewol.

Friends of the bereaved, high school students and citizens laid chrysanthemums on and before the altar.

Since the altar was opened to the public at 9 a.m. Wednesday, more than 13,000 people have visited the altar, the government task force handling the disaster said.

A larger memorial altar will be set up at a park in Ansan next week in accordance with a request by the victims' families, officials said.

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won issued an order that memorial altars for those killed in the April 16 ferry disaster be set up across the nation.

As of early Thursday morning, the death toll rose to 159, with 143 others still missing. Only 174 survived the tragic accident. Of the 476 passengers and crew on board, 325 and 14 were students and teachers of a high school in Ansan, respectively.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com