Chinese mother mourns dead son, S. Korean president calls ferry disaster 'murder'

Family members of a missing passenger onboard South Korean ferry Sewol, which capsized on Wednesday, look at the sea as they wait for news from rescue and salvage teams at a port in Jindo April 22, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Fearful relatives vent their outrage

Angry relatives clash with S.Korea police

Fading hope 

Underwater search continued Tuesday as tidal currents became slower, focusing on the third and fourth floors of the five-story vessel where bodies and possible survivors were believed to be trapped.

Divers began entering and searching inside the submerged vessel from Monday, but the protracted rescue operation, hampered by chilly and murky waters, only led to a surge in death toll.

For the first five days since the disaster took place, divers had trouble with prying their way into the hull as the site of the accident was known for the country's second-fastest currents.

Five guideline ropes had been snaked into cabins and convenience facilities inside the ship, enabling divers to follow along the lines and get there much faster than before. It somehow helped with rescue efforts.

In an indoor gym in Jindo, where relatives of missing passengers gathered, grief has given way to fury over lack of progress.

The relatives, mostly parents of the Danwon High School students which took up around 70 percent of the passengers, vented their anger on South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who made a surprise visit Thursday.

The president was confronted with insults, shrieks and wails.

The passenger ship sank at a depth of 30 meters, where the ocean currents flowed then at a speed of 8 km per hour. Waves were half a meter high. Water temperature was 11.7 Celsius degrees, under which conditions a human body can endure only one to two hours.

"Murder"

President Park likened what the captain and some crew members of the sunk ferry did to "murder" on Monday, vowing to force those responsible to shoulder legal responsibilities, regardless of their ranks.

The ship, built in Japan in 1994, was modified by its operator to expand passenger cabins, raising the total capacity including crew by 116 people to 956.

The 476 passengers aboard the ship were about half the maximum capacity, but it was offset by an overloaded cargo. The vessel was carrying 180 cars and trucks and 1,157 tons of freight, far exceeding the reported figure of 150 vehicles and 657 tons of goods.

When the ship began listing heavily, the 69-year-old captain was not at the helm, and the wheel was controlled by the 25-year-old third mate who steered the ship in the rough waters for the first time.

Some crew members, including the captain, abandoned the vessel as it was sinking as many of the passengers were told to stay in their cabins.

The captain and several other crew members have been arrested on negligence and other charges.