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The passenger ferry Queen Zenobia 2 ran aground near Jokdo, south of Jangsan Island in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, at 8:17 p.m. on November 19, as the Korea Coast Guard carries out rescue operations. / Yonhap

All 267 people aboard a large passenger ferry that ran aground off the coast of Sinan County in South Jeolla Province were safely rescued, maritime authorities said late Wednesday.

According to the Korea Coast Guard, a report came in at 8:17 p.m. on November 19 that a passenger ship had run aground in waters near Jangsan Island in Sinan.

Jeju Coast Guard said it dispatched a large patrol vessel operating in a wider security zone to the site and assisted in evacuating everyone on board the Queen Zenobia 2, a 26,500-ton ferry. A total of 267 people — 246 passengers and 21 crew members — were rescued.

Two people complaining of back pain from the impact of the grounding and one pregnant woman are awaiting hospital transport, while some passengers reportedly suffered minor bruises.

The Queen Zenobia 2 departed Jeju at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday and was scheduled to arrive at Mokpo Port around 9 p.m. The vessel is believed to have run up onto Jokdo, an uninhabited islet near Jangsan Island. A breach was found in the bow area, but no flooding has been reported.

President Lee Jae-myung, who was on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates at the time of the accident, was briefed on the situation and immediately ordered authorities to “take swift action to handle the accident so that there are no human casualties, and to release real-time updates on the rescue operation so the public can be reassured.”

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Jeon Jae-soo, Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae and People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seok also called for “rapid and safe rescue efforts using all available resources.”