More Than 180 Killed In South Korea Ferry Disaster

At least 180 people are confirmed dead and nearly 120 others are missing as divers retrieve bodies in the ferry. The ship's captain and 14 other crew members have been arrested.

Updated — April 26, 10:10 p.m. ET:

The confirmed death toll from the ferry disaster off South Korea rose Saturday to 187 as divers located more bodies in the sunken vessel.

South Korea's Prime Minister resigned Saturday and apologized for the government's response.

Divers were able to recover bodies from inside the 6,825-ton vessel that sank off the coast of South Korea April 16, with 475 people aboard.

North Korea sent its condolences through a telephone hotline at the truce village of Panmunjom on the border between the countries, the Unification Ministry of the South said.

The first distress call made from the ferry as it began to sink last week came from a boy, not the crew, who used his cell phone to contact emergency services, the coast guard said Tuesday. "Help us. The boat is sinking," he said. His fate unknown.

The captain of the ferry was arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people. Three other crew members were also arrested.

Data shows that the ship made a J-shaped turn before listing heavily and ultimately sinking last week.

The reason for the sinking of the ferry still remains a mystery, but investigators are looking into the different possibilities.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday lashed out at the captain and crew. "What the captain and part of the crew did is unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense. Unforgivable, murderous behavior," said Park.

The vice principal of Danwon high school, which had many students aboard the ferry, was found dead on Friday.

In addition, the evacuation was delayed for more than 30 minutes after a South Korean transportation official ordered preparations to abandon ship, the Associated Press.

After more than half an hour of passengers being told to stay put, the captain ordered the evacuation. Although it is not clear in the chaos of the event that the direction was ever relayed to the passengers.

The ferry's captain and along with two crewmembers were formally arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need.

Divers have continued the search underwater, although they have had difficulty approaching the submerged hull.

The divers are fighting against low visibility, cold temperatures, and fast currents.

As the ferry was going down, South Korean coast guard helicopters rescued passengers from the balconies of the capsized ferry, as seen in these images from a video released by News Y via Yonhap.

Here a passenger of the sinking ferry is rescued and hoisted onto a coast guard helicopter.

The 475 passengers and crew aboard the sinking South Korean ferry were some 20 kilometers off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo.

"We heard a big thumping sound and the boat stopped. The boat is tilting and we have to hold on to something to stay seated," a passenger told YTN.

The ferry was traveling from the port of Incheon to the southern resort island of Jeju when it sent a distress call and began leaning to one side.

This footage from YTN News 24 shows the capsized ferry as rescue efforts began.

View this video on YouTube

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Some of the 325 students on board the ferry jumped into the sea as the ship went down.

View this video on YouTube

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One student, Lim Hyung-min, told broadcaster YTN: "As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another."

He added that some of the passengers were injured and bleeding and that, once in the water, the ocean was "so cold" and that he was "hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

Distraught parents at Danwon high school search for their children's names among a list of the survivors rescued from the wreck.

The parents on the day of the accident waiting for a bus to meet their children who have been rescued.

Parents attend a candle light vigil to hope for their children's safe return at Danwon high school in Ansan, South Korea, on April 16.

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