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| South Korea ferry: Third officer 'had the helm' | South Korea ferry: Third officer 'had the helm' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The third officer was at the helm of the ferry that capsized off South Korea, investigators said, as divers worked to access the sunken hull. | The third officer was at the helm of the ferry that capsized off South Korea, investigators said, as divers worked to access the sunken hull. |
| A total of 268 people - including scores of high school students - remain missing after Wednesday's disaster. | A total of 268 people - including scores of high school students - remain missing after Wednesday's disaster. |
| Twenty-eight people are now known to have died and 179 were rescued. | Twenty-eight people are now known to have died and 179 were rescued. |
| It is not clear why the ferry sank, but experts have suggested it either hit a rock or turned sharply, unbalancing the vessel as cargo shifted. | It is not clear why the ferry sank, but experts have suggested it either hit a rock or turned sharply, unbalancing the vessel as cargo shifted. |
| The vessel - named Sewol - had been travelling from Incheon, in the north-west, to the southern resort island of Jeju. It capsized and sank within a period of two hours, officials said. | The vessel - named Sewol - had been travelling from Incheon, in the north-west, to the southern resort island of Jeju. It capsized and sank within a period of two hours, officials said. |
| A major search and rescue operation has been under way. Bad weather, poor visibility and strong currents hampered the divers' search on Thursday. | A major search and rescue operation has been under way. Bad weather, poor visibility and strong currents hampered the divers' search on Thursday. |
| Salvage work | Salvage work |
| The BBC's Martin Patience, who is at the scene, says there are conflicting reports over whether divers have managed to enter the ferry. | |
| He says one government agency reported a team of divers accessing the bridge and restaurant of the stricken vessel but that many of the students were thought to have been trapped on a different floor. | |
| But coast guard officials quoted by Reuters later denied that divers had been deployed inside the ferry. | |
| Air was also now being injected into the ship, two reports said, both to help any people trapped inside - though officials have said that survivors are unlikely - and to help refloat the vessel. | Air was also now being injected into the ship, two reports said, both to help any people trapped inside - though officials have said that survivors are unlikely - and to help refloat the vessel. |
| Coast guard officials, quoted by AFP, say the bodies picked up were found floating in the water, and none had been retrieved from the ship itself. | Coast guard officials, quoted by AFP, say the bodies picked up were found floating in the water, and none had been retrieved from the ship itself. |
| Three salvage cranes have also arrived at the scene, to raise the ship or move it to another area with weaker currents. | Three salvage cranes have also arrived at the scene, to raise the ship or move it to another area with weaker currents. |
| Our correspondent at the scene described "an absolutely desperate development for the families" as three more bodies were brought in from the rescue site on Friday. | |
| "We will review the options very carefully, as the salvage operations may hurt survivors trapped inside," Yonhap news agency quoted a coast guard officer as saying. | "We will review the options very carefully, as the salvage operations may hurt survivors trapped inside," Yonhap news agency quoted a coast guard officer as saying. |
| Meanwhile, investigators have stated that the captain of the ferry, Lee Joon-seok, was not in charge when the ferry ran into trouble. | Meanwhile, investigators have stated that the captain of the ferry, Lee Joon-seok, was not in charge when the ferry ran into trouble. |
| "It was the third officer who was in command of steering the ship when the accident took place," state prosecutor Park Jae-Eok told journalists. | "It was the third officer who was in command of steering the ship when the accident took place," state prosecutor Park Jae-Eok told journalists. |
| "Whether or not they took a drastic turnaround... is under investigation," he said. | "Whether or not they took a drastic turnaround... is under investigation," he said. |
| "Though surviving crews have different testimonies about the situation, we've been investigating the captain as he was suspected to leave the steering room for an unknown reason," Mr Park added. | "Though surviving crews have different testimonies about the situation, we've been investigating the captain as he was suspected to leave the steering room for an unknown reason," Mr Park added. |
| Witnesses have accused the crew of telling passengers to remain where they were, rather than evacuate the sinking ship. | Witnesses have accused the crew of telling passengers to remain where they were, rather than evacuate the sinking ship. |
| Messages and phone calls from those inside painted a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the severely-listing ferry. | Messages and phone calls from those inside painted a picture of people trapped in crowded corridors, unable to escape the severely-listing ferry. |
| Some 350 of those on board were students from the same high school in a suburb of Seoul who were on a field trip. | Some 350 of those on board were students from the same high school in a suburb of Seoul who were on a field trip. |
| Their relatives have endured a long wait for news - their anguish compounded by conflicting information about numbers of survivors issued early on. | Their relatives have endured a long wait for news - their anguish compounded by conflicting information about numbers of survivors issued early on. |
| In a public statement issued on Friday, families of the missing called for more urgent action. | In a public statement issued on Friday, families of the missing called for more urgent action. |
| "Nobody told us about what went wrong and what was happening out there. There was not even a situation room in charge by late Wednesday," a representative said. | "Nobody told us about what went wrong and what was happening out there. There was not even a situation room in charge by late Wednesday," a representative said. |
| "Our children would be shouting for help in the freezing water," he said. "Please help us save our children." | "Our children would be shouting for help in the freezing water," he said. "Please help us save our children." |
| Are you in the area? Do you have any information you would like to share? Please send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'South Korea ferry'. | |
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