The death toll in the South Korea ferry disaster rose to 64 over the weekend, as divers continued their search efforts to find the 238 individuals still missing.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating what caused the ferry to capsize and apprehending crew members they believe to be responsible for the crash.
According to Reuters:
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Monday the actions of some crew of a ferry that sank with hundreds feared dead were tantamount to murder, as a four-year-old video transcript showed the captain promoting the safety of the same route.
Captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, and two other crew members were arrested last week on negligence charges, with prosecutors announcing four further arrests – two first mates, one second mate and a chief engineer – on Monday.
Crew members left the ferry before passengers as it was sinking, witnesses say. Captain Lee was also charged with undertaking an “excessive change of course without slowing down” while traversing a narrow channel.
“Above all, the conduct of the captain and some crew members is unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense, and it was like an act of murder that cannot and should not be tolerated,” Park told aides.
Search teams will continue to retrieve bodies as family members and parents wait to hear news. Two U.S. underwater drones have been deployed in the search for bodies, a coastguard official said. Sadly, most of the victims are high school children, who were on a field trip from school.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest in this tragic incident.
SOURCE: Reuters | PHOTO CERDIT: Getty
