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Divers fail to recover more bodies from sunken ferry

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Divers searching the wreck of a South Korean ferry in the Yellow Sea have failed to find more bodies for more than 24 hours as bad weather makes the search process more challenging.

The South Korean coast guard says worse weather conditions are expected which could hamper the recovery operations.

The confirmed death toll remains at 187 since Saturday when the divers retrieved two bodies. At least 115 individuals are still missing at seas off the country’s southwest coast.

Late on Saturday, the country’s prosecutors said all surviving crew members of the sunken ferry were in the government’s custody.

Lee Joon-seok, the ship’s captain, and other crewmembers were arrested on negligence charges. Lee was also charged with undertaking an “excessive change of course without slowing down.”

The captain initially told passengers to stay in their rooms and took half an hour to issue an evacuation order, by which time the ship was tilting too severely for many people to get out.

The 6,825-ton ferry was reportedly carrying an estimated 3,608 tons of cargo — more than three times what an inspector said it could safely carry.

Seoul has also issued a 30-day travel ban for over 70 executives and other people affiliated with the company as they are being investigated on possible charges of criminal negligence or embezzlement.

The ferry Sewol sank en route to the resort Island of Jeju, with more than 450 passengers on board. Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has stepped down amid harsh criticism of the government’s weak performance in the aftermath the disaster

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