Editor's note: A ship carrying 456 people sank in China's Yangtze River en route from Nanjing in eastern China to Chongqing in southwestern China on June 1. According to the captain and chief engineer, who were among the first ten people rescued, the ship had been caught in a cyclone.

Though many ships today are well-equipped with advanced technology, they are not immune to sudden changes in the weather and waters, nor can they always avoid the consequences of human negligence. The following are some of the largest shipwrecks that took place in recent years.

1. MV Sewol, South Korea

The Sewol sank on the morning of April 16, 2014 in the waters of Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The ferry capsized while carrying 476 people, most of whom were secondary school students on a class trip. In all, 295 people died and nine went missing. The wreck of the Sewol is the most deadly maritime accident in South Korea in decades.

A family member of missing passengers who were on the South Korean ferry "Sewol" which sank in the sea off Jindo, is seen at a port of Jindo, South Korea, April 14, 2015. South Korean ferry Sewol carrying 476 people capsized and sank off the country's southwestern coast Jindo a year ago, leaving 295 dead, including four Chinese nationals, and nine missing. [Photo/Xinhua]