By Kim Tae-gyu
Search and rescue efforts will be increased to account for the 35 passengers still missing from the sunken ferry Sewol.
The intra-government response team said Wednesday that divers had checked 64 cabins of the ill-fated boat in what was the country's worst maritime disaster in decades.
"Out of 111 rooms on the Sewol, we have gone through 66, which are presumed to accommodate passengers. We will search them once again over the days to come when the tidal currents are forecast to be weak," an official said.
"Divers will also explore public places such as restaurants, toilets and stores after beefing up safety measures."
On Tuesday, a civilian diver died during the continuous search and rescue operations that have been taking place over the past three weeks. Divers have kept taking to the water despite the strong currents and near-zero visibility.
After the first-phase mission, there remain two options — divers might keep attempting to find the victims in-person or the job of raising the wreck might start after getting the consent of family members.
The families of the victims have opposed the idea of taking the ship out of the water because of the concerns that such a drastic measure might hurt the bodies of their loved ones.
However, they might agree to bring the vessel up due to worries that they have to find the remains before they decompose beyond recognition.
In the case of the sunken frigate Cheonan, which sank in 2010 after an unprovoked torpedo attack in the West Sea, relatives of the victims agreed to hoist the hull after a military diver died nine days after the incident.
The 6,825-ton vessel capsized off the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula on April 16.
After several mix-ups, the Coast Guard had said that 174 people were rescued, but it altered the number to 172 Wednesday, citing redundant and erratic registration of names.
As of 11 p.m. Wednesday 269 people have been confirmed dead and 35 missing.
Some of the victims are feared to have already been swept away after the body of a passenger was discovered earlier about 4 kilometers southeast of the wreck.
In the case of the Cheonan, six bodies were not recovered out of the 46 sailors who were reported missing.
Search and rescue efforts will be increased to account for the 35 passengers still missing from the sunken ferry Sewol.
The intra-government response team said Wednesday that divers had checked 64 cabins of the ill-fated boat in what was the country's worst maritime disaster in decades.
"Out of 111 rooms on the Sewol, we have gone through 66, which are presumed to accommodate passengers. We will search them once again over the days to come when the tidal currents are forecast to be weak," an official said.
"Divers will also explore public places such as restaurants, toilets and stores after beefing up safety measures."
On Tuesday, a civilian diver died during the continuous search and rescue operations that have been taking place over the past three weeks. Divers have kept taking to the water despite the strong currents and near-zero visibility.
After the first-phase mission, there remain two options — divers might keep attempting to find the victims in-person or the job of raising the wreck might start after getting the consent of family members.
The families of the victims have opposed the idea of taking the ship out of the water because of the concerns that such a drastic measure might hurt the bodies of their loved ones.
However, they might agree to bring the vessel up due to worries that they have to find the remains before they decompose beyond recognition.
In the case of the sunken frigate Cheonan, which sank in 2010 after an unprovoked torpedo attack in the West Sea, relatives of the victims agreed to hoist the hull after a military diver died nine days after the incident.
The 6,825-ton vessel capsized off the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula on April 16.
After several mix-ups, the Coast Guard had said that 174 people were rescued, but it altered the number to 172 Wednesday, citing redundant and erratic registration of names.
As of 11 p.m. Wednesday 269 people have been confirmed dead and 35 missing.
Some of the victims are feared to have already been swept away after the body of a passenger was discovered earlier about 4 kilometers southeast of the wreck.
In the case of the Cheonan, six bodies were not recovered out of the 46 sailors who were reported missing.
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