In pictures: South Korea ferry sinks

Helicopters fly above the capsized ferry on 16 April 2014

A major rescue effort has been launched after a passenger ferry capsized off the coast of South Korea on Wednesday.

South Korea Coast Guard members searching for passengers some 20 kilometres off the island of Byungpoong - 16 April 2014

Teams worked to pluck people from the ship as it listed and then sank, leaving only part of its hull exposed above the water.

A South Korean Coast Guard helicopter winches passengers off of the sinking ferry - 16 April 2014

Several South Korean coast guard, military and commercial vessels have been searching the area for passengers.

South Korean rescue vessels and fishing boats search for passengers who abandoned the sinking ferry - 16 April 2014

The ferry, bound for Jeju island, was carrying 462 people when it went down, South Korean officials said.

This South Korea Coast Guard handout photo taken at sea some 20km (12 miles) off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on 16 April 2014 shows South Korea Coast Guard members rescuing some of the passengers and crew aboard a South Korean ferry sinking on its way to Jeju island from Incheon

At least 174 people are reported to have been rescued so far but about 300 people remain missing, local media say.

Rescue teams help one of the 476 passengers and crew who was on board a South Korean ferry as it capsized on 16 April 2014

Four people are confirmed to have died, with a number of others injured. Witnesses described passengers staggering after an apparent impact before the ship sank.

A girl rescued by South Korean maritime policemen from a sinking ship "Sewol" in the sea off Jindo, is treated at a port in Jindo April 16, 2014

Doctors look after a young girl rescued from the ferry. One passenger said: "I heard a big thumping sound and the boat suddenly started to tilt."

Traumatised passengers who were rescued sit inside a gym in Jindo - 16 April 2014

Many of the traumatised passengers who were rescued were taken to a gym on the nearby island of Jindo.

Relatives wait for their missing loved ones at a port in Jindo, South Korea - 16 April 2014

Anxious parents and relatives of passengers are angry because they do not think they are being given enough information.

Relatives hug each other as they wait for missing people at a port in Jindo, South Korea - 16 April 2014

One survivor said that passengers were advised to stay still as the ship began to sink. "The announcement told us to stay still, but the ship was already sinking," he said.

One of the boats involved in the search operation shines its spotlight on to the last part of the ferry left above the water - 16 April 2014

Although rescue operations are ongoing through the night, divers have suspended attempts to find survivors inside the ship until daylight on Thursday.

South Korea's coast guard shoot flares into the night sky as the search for passengers from the sinking ferry continues - 16 April 2014

Search teams are using flares to help with the rescue efforts but the darkness will undoubtedly complicate the operation.