Death toll rises in South Korea ferry sinking

Rescue teams have recovered 171 bodies from the Sewol ferry wreck but are still searching for more than 130 people.

Divers have now retrieved 171 bodies from the Sewol ferry wreck off South Korea’s coast.

Rescue teams are still searching for more than 130 people who are believed to be trapped inside the boat that sank last Wednesday on a routine trip from the port of Incheon to the island of Jeju.

Most of the victims were students on a field trip.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of the sinking. Local media said the ferry may have been carrying three times its cargo limit. Others claimed an inexperienced officer was at the helm.

The captain and 10 crew members have been detained on suspicion of negligence.

Al Jazeera’s Gerald Tan reports.

Source: Al Jazeera