A fifth crew member of the capsized Sout Korean ferry Sewol has been arrested. All five crew members have been charged with negligence.
Supposedly, evacuation attempts started too late causing a lot of people to become trapped in the ship. In addition, one of the arrested crew members has said that although they did attempt to launch the lifeboats, this failed because the ship was already listing heavily.
104 Deaths
Of the 476 people on boaard, 174 were rescued. The coast guard has so far recovered 104 bodies. Practically all those dead and missing are students from the school in Ansan, near Seoul. Chances that the approximately 200 still missing people will be found alive are slim.
The number of deaths has increased quickly as of this weekend as divers have found a way to access the sunken ship. The divers are recovering bodies which are brought ashore at the island Jindo.
Cause Still Unknown
The ferry sank nearly a week ago. The cause is still unknown. Researchers have said suspicions that the ship made a strong turn are incorrect. The ship did change course, but only gradually.
The high number of deaths is blamed on the captain's actions. He waited half an hour before evacuating the ship while it was already sinking, because he feared the people on board would get in trouble in the water. Experts say he should have gathered all passengers on deck as that would have increased their chances of survival.
