10 more bodies found inside South Korean ferry

The retrieval of corpses marks a grim new stage in the search and recovery process

By AP 20 April 2014, 2:31 am

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Coast guard members search for passengers near a South Korean ferry that capsized on its way to Jeju island from Incheon, at sea some 20 kilometers off the island of Byungpoong in Jindo on April 17, 2014. (photo credit: AFP PHOTO/ ED JONES)

MOKPO, South Korea — Divers have recovered 10 more bodies from inside the ferry that sank off South Korea. The confirmed death toll is now 46.

Officials said Sunday the bodies were recovered following divers gaining access to the inside of the ferry after three days of failed attempts due to strong currents. Details of how they got inside the ship weren’t immediately clear.

More than 265 people, most of them high school students on a holiday trip, are missing. There are only 174 known survivors.

The captain of the ferry has been arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need. Two other crew members have also been taken into custody, including a rookie third mate who a prosecutor said was steering in challenging waters unfamiliar to her when the accident occurred.