Seoul, Sep 30 (IANS): A South Korean cruise ship ran aground in waters off the south-western coast Tuesday but all 109 people aboard the vessel have been rescued.
The 171-tonne ship 'Vacance' hit a submerged rock in waters off Hongdo Island in south Jeolla province, Xinhua reported citing Yonhap News Agency and YTN TV.
Aboard the vessel were 109 people - 104 passengers and five crew members.
The Coast Guard, who received the first distress call, saved all the people some 30 minutes later, with the help of fishing boats sailing nearby.
The cruise ship with a maximum capacity of 355 people left the Hongdo port earlier in the morning for a cruise around the island.
The vessel sails around the island three times a day.
The accident came more than five months after the ferry Sewol capsized and sank off the south-western island of Jindo in April claiming more than 300 lives.