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Death toll from South Korea ferry disaster rises
The confirmed death toll from the South Korean ferry that capsized last week has risen to 104 as divers have recovered more bodies from the sunken hull.
Another 198 – including many teenagers who were on a school trip – are missing, presumed trapped inside the vessel.
Divers have managed to reach many of the cabins in the hull of the upturned ferry, although they are still trying to get into the ship’s restaurant, where they believe many of the passengers were trapped.
Rescue officials say they will keep searching with divers for another two days, but that the families of the victims have agreed that the salvage operation can begin after that.
The captain, Lee Joon-seok, and two other crew members have been charged with negligence of duty and violation of maritime law. Four more crew members were detained on Monday, amid intense criticism of the crews’ failure to evacuate all passengers as the ship listed.
Passengers were told to remain in rooms and cabins reports suggest, amid confusion on the bridge over whether to order them to abandon ship.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday condemned the conduct of some of the crew, calling it "akin to murder".
Investigations are focusing on whether the ferry took too sharp a turn – perhaps destabilising the vessel – before it started listing and whether an earlier evacuation order could have saved lives.
Captain Lee Joon-seok was not on the bridge when the ferry began listing. It was being steered by a third mate who had never navigated the waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors say.
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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