Captain of capsized South Korea ferry details evacuation delay

Three days after South Korean ferry Sewol capsized, the captain of the ship, Lee Joon-seok, was arrested and put behind bars early Saturday, reported Yonhap news agency.

Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha Seoul: Three days after South Korean ferry Sewol capsized, the divers on early Saturday morning managed to spot three bodies trapped in the lower decks of the sunken ship. Having fought tough weather conditions for two days, the divers managed to access the lower third deck of the sunken ferry at 5:50 am today morning, said Choi Sang-Hwan, the deputy director of the national coastguard. "Through a window, they glimpsed what appeared to be bodies, but were unable to break through with the tools they had to hand," Choi told a press briefing. The coastguard officer added that nets will be placed around the ship to ensure that the bodies don`t drift away in the recovery process. In another crucial development today, the captain of the ship, Lee Joon-seok, was arrested, reported Yonhap news agency.

The report added that along with the captain, two other crew members too, were arrested. After his arrest, Captain Joon-seok said that the evacuation orders were delayed because he feared passengers would "drift away". Five counts of charges including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law have been levelled against the 68-year-old captain who was at the helms of the ferry which sank with 274 passengers, mainly students and teachers, on board. 28 have been confirmed to be dead and 268 remain unaccounted for.

Captain of sunken ferry, two other crewmembers arrested http://t.co/UQ44g09nRH

— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) April 18, 2014

The captain after being arrested said that he was sorry for his recklessness, as he was not present in the steering room when the accident happened. The captain had earlier said on TV that he was `sad and ashamed” as it emerged from the investigations that he had left the ferry at the mercy of a junior officer being referred as `the third mate`, when the ship listed and sank. Addressing a news briefing, prosecutor Park Jae-Eok said that the captain had handed the helm of the ship to another crew member, when the mishap occurred. The investigators are still probing what might have led to the sinking of the ferry. When asked that why were the students instructed to remain in their places even as the ferry was sinking, the captain tod reporters that he did so keeping in mind their safe evacuation. "At the time a rescue ship had not arrived. There were also no fishing boats around there for rescues or other ships to help," Lee said. "The currents were very strong and water was cold at that time in the area. The captain added that the water currents were very strong and cold at that time and if the passengers were allowed to evacuate on their own, they would be swept far away. In another drastic report, the vice principal of Danwon High School, whose students and teachers were on board the ferry, was yesterday found hanging from a tree near the gymnasium on Jindo island where the aggrieved family members have camped. Reports say a suicide note was also found from the 52-year old Vice Principle Kang Min-Kyu. He had been rescued safely and was missing since Thursday. As divers continue to look for survivors or bodies, they are facing weather worries as low visibility and strong water current are proving obstructive. The US is assisting the search operations with its assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard already at the sit. Also, the US will be sending liaison officials to South Korea for better communications in a joint search for the survivors, said an official according to the reports. The sunken ferry Sewol was a 146-meter vessel with a capacity of 900 people. It was heading from the port of Incheon, in northwestern South Korea to the resort island of Jeju.  The ferry is said to have struck something with a thud after which the ship listed, capsized and sank. The ship sank within three hours of sending the first distress call.