Jindo, South Korea (CNN) -- A passenger (乘客) describes (描述) women screaming (<人因痛苦或恐惧而>尖叫 ) in the darkness (在黑暗中). A father learns his child is trapped (困住). A son, fearing death, tells his mother he loves her.
Investigators (调查人员) haven't said what caused a South Korean ferry boat (渡船; 渡轮) carrying hundreds of passengers to capsize (倾覆) on Wednesday. But as rescuers (救助者) searched frigid (极冷的) waters for nearly 300 missing people, text messages surfaced (显现) describing the harrowing (折磨人的) moments after the ferry started to roll (<船只等>颠簸;摇晃).
CNN affiliate (成员组织,附属机构) YTN reported on several messages, purportedly (据称) from passengers aboard the sinking vessel (船; 舰) to their loved ones. CNN could not independently confirm (证实) the authenticity (可靠性;真实性) of the messages or when they were sent. It's also unclear what happened to the people who sent them.
The messages, widely reported in South Korean media, paint a chaotic (混乱的) picture of the situation aboard the ferry as hundreds of passengers waited for help and some reached out to loved ones.
'We are not dead yet'
"No phone connection (连接) so there is no Internet connection. So just sending text message. There are few people on the ship, can't see a thing, it's totally dark.
So there are few men and women, women are screaming," says one purported text message from a passenger obtained (获得) by CNN.
"There are a few people in the ship," the student writes to his mother, "and we are not dead yet, so please send along this message."
A son reaches out
"Mom, in case I won't get to tell you, I'm sending this. I love you," another message says, according to CNN affiliate YTN.
The mom, apparently (貌似地) unaware of (不知道的) what was happening, responds (回应), "Why?"
Then, "I, too, love you, son."
A father offers his child advice
In another exchange described by YTN, a father advises his teenager ([美国英语]<13至19岁的>青少年) to go outside to reach rescuers.
"No -- I can't move because it is tilted (倾斜,倾侧) too much. Moving is more dangerous," the teen replies (回复).
Later, the teen writes, "No, Dad, I can't walk now. There are no kids in the hallway (过道). And it is too tilted."
'The ship got hit by something'
"I was on my way to Jeju Island (济州岛)," a passenger writes in a message to his brother, according to YTN.
"The ship got hit by something and is not moving and the coast guards (海岸警卫队<或缉私队,救生队>) are on the way (在途中)."