Salvage operators raised South Korea's sunken Sewol ferry early Thursday, nearly three years after the ship sank killing more than 300 people, Yonhap news agency reported.

"As of 3:45 am (1845 GMT Wednesday), part of the Sewol's structure, which is believed to be its stabilizer, can be seen above the water with the naked eye," an official from the Oceans and Fisheries Ministry was quoted as saying by Yonhap.