South Korean ferry survivors return to school after classmates' deaths
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Coast guard: The death toll rises to 219, with 83 missing
About 70 survivors from the ferry visit Danwon High School in Ansan
The school sent 325 students on a field trip; scores have died at sea
South Korea's president apologizes for the initial response to the ferry sinking
Ansan, South Korea (CNN) -- They left school two weeks ago on a field trip with hundreds of classmates.
They came back Wednesday without the scores of students who died at sea.
About 70 survivors from the sunken South Korean ferry visited a memorial at the Danwon High School in Asnan -- the high school that sent 325 students on a field trip to Jeju Island.
Inside the hallways, it didn't take long for the tears to flow. Many students sobbed as they walked past images of their classmates and hurried back onto waiting buses.
For these students, school will never be the same.
Losing hope
The ferry, en route from Incheon to Jeju, sank April 16 on the country's southwest coast.
Any hope for survivors largely hinged on the possibility of air pockets within the sunken ship, which was carrying 425 people.
Hundreds of relatives camped out near a harbor in Jindo, waiting for news. But after officials said there were no more air pockets, the grim reality set in.
"All we are asking for is bring the dead bodies out," a father wailed Tuesday. "We know they are not alive now."
Videos capturing ferry's final moments fuel fresh outrage
Images of ferry captain abandoning ship are shocking
Lots of blame, no answers
As the web of blame widens, even the country's president is apologizing for the disaster that has killed at least 219 passengers. Another 83 people are missing, the South Korean coast guard reported Thursday.
"I am losing sleep as there is no news about saving more lives and because there are many families who don't know whether their loved ones are dead or alive still," President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday.
"I am at a loss for words for an apology that can be enough to console the pain and suffering even for a little while over insufficiency in efforts made to prevent the accident and also in the initial response to the accident," she added.
"We'll fix the problems and change our practices so we'll have safer nation and won't let them die in vain," Park said.
South Korean authorities arrested have arrested three people on suspicion of destroying evidence connected to the ferry sinking. Investigators also raided a Coast Guard office in a probe of how officials handled the first emergency call from a passenger.
The director and two other people with the Korea Shipping Association's Incheon office were arrested and accused of destroying evidence related to the probe of Chonghaejin, the company that owns the ferry.
The Korea Shipping Association is a trade group that promotes the interests of the country's shipping industry.
The site raided was the Coast Guard building in Mokpo, which includes the South Jeolla province emergency center -- a facility that provides 119 services, akin to the 911 emergency service in the United States.
Investigators are looking into possible dereliction of duty.
By Andrew Stevens and Holly Yan, CNN
May 1, 2014 -- Updated 0936 GMT (1736 HKT)
Ferry survivors honor lost classmates
旅客船沈没 コンテナの固定不十分5月1日 22時27分
K10041689411_1405020001_1405020004.mp4 韓国の旅客船沈没事故で検察などの合同捜査本部は、事故当時、船内でコンテナがきちんと固定されていなかったことを明らかにし、貨物の積みすぎだけでなくコンテナの固定の方法にも問題があったとみて船会社の担当者からさらに事情を聞くことにしています。
先月１６日、韓国南部で旅客船セウォル号が沈没した事故では、船が転覆てんぷくする前の映像から、甲板に載せられたコンテナが左舷側に崩れ落ちているのが確認されており、検察などの合同捜査本部はコンテナがどのように積まれていたかについて詳しく調べています。
合同捜査本部が１日明らかにしたところによりますと、事故当時積んでいたコンテナと旅客船にもともと設置されていたコンテナを固定する装置は規格が合わないため、２段に積まれたコンテナは固定が緩かったり、場所によってははじめから固定されていなかったりしたということです。
こうしたことは船が急旋回をきっかけに荷崩れを起こしてバランスを失ったことを改めてうかがわせるもので、捜査本部は貨物の積みすぎだけでなくコンテナの固定の方法にも問題があったとみて船会社の貨物の担当者からさらに事情を聞くことにしています。
今回の事故ではこれまでに修学旅行中だった高校生など２２１人の死亡が確認され、今なお８１人の安否が分かっていません。
現場海域では引き続き船内の捜索が行われていますが、３０日、船から２キロほど離れた海上で遺体が見つかり、強い潮の流れで遺体が流されることが懸念されています。
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