Sewol Ferry Crew Members Admit Mistakes
The answer given by a Sewol ferry crew member, concerning the vessel's fate was: "...But we slipped so we could not do that".
The explanation was offered today, regarding failed attempts to access life rafts as the boat sunk lower and lower into the ocean. The statement was in response to journalists' questions, after four crew member's were arrested, outside a South Korean courtroom.
Today brought two more arrests, with a total of nine crew members indicted in the capsized ferry's catastrophe. Currently 181 passengers remain missing and 121 have been confirmed as dead. The handling of the sinkage has been widely criticized, as the Sewol ferry captain instructed victims to stay where they were.
Two buoys are placed where the ship lies underwater. Many boats of all sizes surround the tragic waterway. The area is characterized by frigid and murky waters. Search spokesman Koh Myung-seok commented, "Divers can't even see their hands". As more bodies are located, devastated family members are brought into white tents to confirm the identity of their beloved.
Search diver Bard Yoon exclaimed, "The conditions are so bad, my heart aches. We're going in thinking there may be survivors. When we have to come back with nothing, we can't even face the families". It remains to be determined, what exactly caused the ship to crash and capsize into the ocean.
Sewol ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine posted on its website: "We pray for the Sewol victims who lost their precious lives due to the accident...We prostrate ourselves before the victims' families and beg for forgiveness".
