South Korea Ferry Death Toll Hits 108; More Crew Arrested
The death toll in the South Korea ferry disaster has reached 108 people. Crew members were arrested along with the ship's captain for their decisions last week during the sinking.
"We pray for the Sewol victims who lost their precious lives due to the accident," Chonghaejin Marine, which operated the ferry, said in a statement. "We prostrate ourselves before the victims' families and beg for forgiveness."
Rescue workers are still searching for 190 missing passengers, as more new bodies are being found every day. BBC News reported that it is still not clear what caused the incident last week, when the ferry "Sewol" sank off the southern coast near Jindo carrying 459 people on board, mostly students.
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South Korean President Park Geun-hye has harshly criticized the actions of some of the crew, calling them "akin to murder" on Monday, after it was revealed that only two of the ferry's 46 lifeboats had been deployed.
The ship's captain, Lee Joon-seok, has been arrested along with eight other crew members who are facing charges for errors they made during the incident. Four of those facing charges appeared at a courthouse on Tuesday, covering their faces from media. One of them insisted that they had "made attempts" to release more lifeboats," but the slippery conditions prevented them from doing so.
Lee has also been criticized for telling passengers to stay on the ferry as the ship began sinking, though he explained that he was concerned about the sea's strong currents and cold water as well as the lack of rescue ships at the time.
Last week, one survivor, identified as 57-year-old Yoo, said he heard a bang before the ship started sinking.
"There was a bang and then the ship suddenly tilted over," the survivor said. "Downstairs were restaurants, shops and entertainment rooms, and those who were there are feared to have failed to escape."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the joint task force leading the search for survivors explained that rescue crews face difficult conditions below the waters.
"Divers can't even see their hands," Koh Myung-seok explained.
"There are a lot of objects, including furniture. It's a mess there," he added.
The spokesman added that authorities believe many people might have been in the cafeteria as the ship sank, as it was morning local time.
"The conditions are so bad, my heart aches. We're going in thinking there may be survivors. When we have to come back with nothing, we can't even face the families," said Bard Yoon, one of the divers.
