2 dead, many unaccounted as rescuers scramble to sinking South Korean ship
By Euan McKirdy and Paula Hancocks, CNN
updated 8:49 PM EDT, Wed April 16, 2014
Sewol ferry captain Lee Joon-Seok was acquitted of murder, avoiding a death sentence, but was sentenced to 36 years in jail on November 11 for his role in the maritime disaster that killed more than 300.
Shoes believed to belong to the missing and the deceased are on display at the harbor.
Jindo harbor, where the search operation is based, has become a memorial for those who lost their lives. Yellow ribbons and photos are displayed as people come to pay their respects.
A joint government-civilian task force is still looking for the missing, but winter is fast approaching.
Ten are still missing from tragic ferry sinking last April, which killed more than 300. Six months later, families are still waiting for their loved ones to be found. The parents of 16-year-old Huh Da-yoon, pictured, are among them.
The families of the ten who remain missing have been waiting in Jindo Indoor Gymnasium since the first day. Families can watch search mission in real time on a large monitor in the gym.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye weeps while delivering a speech to the nation about the sunken ferry Sewol at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, May 19. More than 200 bodies have been found and nearly 100 people remain missing after the ferry sank April 16 off South Korea's southwest coast.
Police in Seoul detain a protester during a march Saturday, May 17, for victims of the Sewol.
A girl in Seoul holds a candle during a service paying tribute to the victims of the Sewol on Wednesday, April 30.
People pay tribute to victims at a memorial altar in Ansan, South Korea, on Tuesday, April 29.
A police officer holds an umbrella for a relative of a missing ferry passenger Monday, April 28, in Jindo, South Korea.
South Korean Buddhists carry lanterns in a parade in Seoul on Saturday, April 26, to honor the memory of the dead and the safe return of the missing.
Divers search for people in the waters near Jindo on April 26.
People in Ansan attend a memorial for the victims on April 26.
A diver jumps into the sea near the sunken ferry on Friday, April 25.
A relative of a passenger weeps while waiting for news of his missing loved one at a port in Jindo on April 25.
People attend a memorial for the victims at the Olympic Memorial Hall in Ansan on Thursday, April 24.
Yellow ribbons honoring the victims flap in the wind as a hearse carrying a victim's body leaves Danwon High School in Ansan on April 24. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.
People attend a memorial for the victims at Olympic Memorial Hall in Ansan.
Search personnel dive into the sea on Wednesday, April 23.
Flares light up the search area on Tuesday, April 22.
The sun sets over the site of the sunken ferry on April 22.
A relative of a ferry passenger prays as she waits for news in Jindo on April 22.
The search for victims continues April 22 in the waters of the Yellow Sea.
Rescue workers in Jindo carry the body of a passenger on Monday, April 21.
Divers jump into the water on April 21 to search for passengers near the buoys that mark the site of the sunken ferry.
Search operations continue as flares illuminate the scene near Jindo on Sunday, April 20.
Relatives of missing passengers grieve April 20 in Jindo.
Relatives of passengers look out at the sea from Jindo on April 20.
Police officers in Jindo stand guard Saturday, April 19, to prevent relatives of the ferry's missing passengers from jumping in the water. Some relatives said they will swim to the shipwreck site and find their missing family members by themselves.
Family members of missing passengers hug as they await news of their missing relatives at Jindo Gymnasium on April 19.
South Korean Navy Ship Salvage Unit members prepare to salvage the sunken ferry and search for missing people on April 19.
Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea.
A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.
A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.
A woman cries during a candlelight vigil at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea, on April 17.
Family members of passengers aboard the sunken ferry gather at a gymnasium in Jindo on April 17.
The body of a victim is moved at a hospital in Mokpo on April 17.
Relatives of a passenger cry at a port in Jindo on April 17 as they wait for news on the rescue operation.
South Korean coast guard members and rescue teams search for passengers at the site of the sunken ferry on April 17.
A relative of a passenger cries as she waits for news on Wednesday, April 16.
Relatives check a list of survivors April 16 in Jindo.
Rescue crews attempt to save passengers from the ferry on April 16.
A relative waits for a missing loved one at the port in Jindo.
Parents at Danwon High School search for names of their children among the list of survivors. Ansan is a suburb of Seoul, the South Korean capital.
Helicopters hover over the ferry as rescue operations continue April 16.
Officials escort rescued passengers April 16 in Jindo.
A passenger is helped onto a rescue boat on April 16.
A passenger is rescued from the sinking ship on April 16.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Many jumped from the ship to the freezing water below
- The weather at the time was clear
- The students were headed to a resort on a trip
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Rescue boats and helicopters scrambled to pluck passengers, most of them high school students, from a ferry as it listed and slowly sank off the southwest coast of South Korea on Wednesday.
It's unclear exactly how many of the 477 people on board were rescued. Many jumped from the listing ship to the freezing waters below.
At one point, South Korean authorities said 386 passengers had been rescued and that 104 remain unaccounted for. But later Wednesday, they said they couldn't provide exact numbers.
Ferry survivors told to 'stay still'
Hundreds missing when ferry sinks
What is known is that at least two people -- a woman and a student -- were confirmed dead.
The rescue operation was still underway six hours after the ferry first sent out distress signal.
Authorities could not immediately say what caused the ship to sink. The weather at the time of the incident in the area was clear.
'I wanted to live'
Among the passengers the ferry, Sewol, was carrying were 325 students.
The group left from the port city of Incheon, just west of Seoul, for a four-day trip to the resort island of Jeju.
Around 9 a.m. local time, the ferry sent out its first distress call. It had begun to list.
A rescued student, Lim Hyung Min, told CNN affiliate YTN that he heard a loud bump. The ferry began to sink after that. Everyone was ordered to don life jackets and jump, he said.
Lim said he jumped into the sea before swimming to a rescue vessel.
"I had to swim a bit to get to the boat to be rescued," he said. "The water was so cold and I wanted to live."
Sinking ship: Two fatalities reported
South Korea: Ship with kids sinking
As rescue crews dashed desperately to rescue passengers, the ferry slowly tilted on its side.
With the clock ticking, the 6,800-ton ferry sank. Only its white and blue hull remained above water.
Local media, including CNN affiliate YTN, reported that all students aboard the ship had been rescued. The South Korean Coast Guard hasn't confirmed those accounts.
Passenger Kim Seung Mok said that, despite his efforts and those of others, he couldn't get to several passengers on one of the decks.
"I stayed till the last to rescue people at the hall," Kim told YTN. "But the water was coming in so fast (that) some didn't make it out."
Survivors tell of panic on board as ferry tilts, then capsizes
More on other major ferry and ship sinkings
Cargo ships collide outside of Tokyo Bay
Philippines ferry disaster kills dozens
CNN's Euan McKirdy wrote and reported from Hong Kong. Paula Hancocks and journalist Stella Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.