Almost 300 people remain unaccounted for and at least three people have died after a ferry carrying 459 people capsized off the South Korean coast.

The ferry sent a distress signal at 09:00 local time (01:00 BST) about 20km off the island of Byungpoong.

A major rescue effort was quickly organised, with dozens of nearby ships and helicopters involved to pull people to safety. The rescue teams are reported to have rescued 164 people before the ship sunk, with ships and divers remaining on the scene to try and find any people left in the water.

Passengers on board the doomed ferry, named Sewol, are reported to have been given conflicting orders, with some told the jump ship, while others were told that it would be safer to remain where they were. The speed at which the ferry sank may have resulted in those being told to stay in location being trapped on board and drowned.

The ferry’s passengers were mostly school children from Seoul travelling from the port of Incheon to the resort island of Jeju for a four-day field trip.