Authorities in South Korea have arrested more crew members from the ferry that sank last week.
There were 476 on board the Sewol when it capsized on a routine trip from the port of Incheon, near Seoul, to the southern island of Jeju. Some 174 were rescued and the rest are believed to have drowned after being trapped below decks.
The search for scores of passengers has entered a second week. Photo: AFP
Eleven crew members are now under arrest. All were on the bridge, say prosecutors when the ferry began to capsize after making a sharp turn while sailing at high speed on 16 April.
Survivors have described cargo containers toppling into the sea and of the struggle to save hundreds of passengers trapped below the tilting decks, the BBC reports.
The government is under strong public pressure to find the cause of the disaster that killed most of an entire year of students from Danwon high school in the town of Ansan, near the capital Seoul.
Divers are continuing to recover bodies as they penetrate the dark, cold waters inside the ship. They can see only a few centimetres in front of them as they search areas where the crew told children to stay for their own safety. With cumbersome oxygen tanks on their backs, they can work for about 20 minutes before an alarm bell sounds.
The confirmed death toll on Wednesday was 128, many found at the back of the ship on the fourth deck, Reuters reports.
Captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, and other crew members have been arrested on negligence charges. Mr Lee was also charged with undertaking an "excessive change of course without slowing down".
Mr Lee was not on the bridge when the ship turned. Navigation was in the hands of a 26-year old third mate who was in charge for the first time on that part of the journey, according to crew members.
Several crew members, including the captain, left the ferry as it was sinking, witnesses have said, after passengers were told to stay in their cabins. President Park Geun-hye said on Monday that instruction was tantamount to an "act of murder".
In a confused exchange between the sinking Sewol and maritime traffic control released by the government, the crew said the ship was listing to port.
"Make passengers wear life jackets and get ready in case you need to abandon ship," traffic control said. The Sewol answered: "It's difficult for the passengers to move now."
Diver Hwang Dae-sik stressed the danger of the job of searching for bodies in such tight confines. "It threatens health and safety. But we are trying really hard. The entire nation is worried."
