South Korean ferry: Divers make new attempt to recover bodies from deck - CNN

• Divers find bodies in the third deck


• They are unable to recover them


• They plan 40 dives Saturday to get inside the ferry

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Jindo, South Korea (CNN) -- Divers will attempt to recover bodies from a capsized South Korean ferry Saturday after an earlier bid to reach the compartment they're in failed.

The ferry sank Wednesday, leaving at least 29 people dead and more than 270 missing. It was headed to the resort island of Jeju from the port of Incheon.

Divers made their way Saturday to the third deck inside the wreckage, where they found three bodies, according to the South Korean coast guard.

They were unable to recover the bodies and planned 40 dives later that day to get inside the ferry, it said.

As the rescuers scramble to retrieve the bodies, details are trickling in about what happened the day the ferry capsized.

Capt. Lee Joon Seok defended his order to delay the evacuation of his sinking ferry, CNN affiliate YTN reported early Saturday.

Lee was charged with abandoning his boat, negligence, causing bodily injury, not seeking rescue from other ships and violating "seamen's law," state media reported.

He appeared before reporters in handcuffs.

"Mr. Lee is charged with causing the Sewol ship to sink by failing to slow down while sailing the narrow route and making (a) turn excessively," prosecutor Lee Bong-chang told the semiofficial Yonhap news agency.

"Lee is also charged with failing to do the right thing to guide the passengers to escape and thereby leading to their death or injury."

If convicted, he faces from five years to life in prison.

Lee wasn't at the helm of the Sewol when it started to sink; a third mate was at the helm, a prosecutor said.

Where was captain?

It's unclear where he was when the accident occurred, but he was not in the steering room, according to state prosecutor Jae-Eok Park.

A crew member, described as the third mate and identified only as Park, appeared in handcuffs with Lee.

Lee answered questions as he left a court hearing Saturday.

"The tidal current was strong and water temperature was cold, and there was no rescue boat," he told reporters, according to CNN affiliate YTN. "So I had everyone stand by and wait for the rescue boat to arrive."

He said he plotted the ship's course, and then went to his cabin briefly "to tend to something." It was then, he said, the accident happened.

The third mate, who was at the helm of the ship when Lee left, said he did not make a sharp turn, but "the steering turned much more than usual."

Air pockets may in survival

Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the sunken ferry Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea. It is not yet known what caused Wednesday's deadly accident.

Offshore cranes wait near buoys that mark the location of the sunken ferry near Jindo, South Korea, on April 18.

A U.S. helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard during search-and-rescue operations on April 18.

A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.

Relatives of missing people aboard the Sewol look out over the waters of the Yellow Sea on April 18.

A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.

The ship's captain, Lee Joon Suk, arrives at the Mokpo Police Station in Mokpo on April 17. His head and face covered, he broke down in tears when reporters asked whether he had anything to say.

A woman cries during a candlelight vigil at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea, on April 17. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.

Rescue personnel dive April 17 during search operations.

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.

South Korean coast guard members search for survivors from the Sewol as it sinks on April 16.

Rescue teams and fishing boats try to rescue passengers on April 16.

The body of a ferry passenger is moved into a hospital in Jindo on April 16.

Relatives check a list of survivors April 16 in Jindo.

Relatives of missing ferry passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo.

Rescue crews attempt to save passengers from the ferry on April 16.

A South Korean coast guard helicopter lifts passengers off the vessel on April 16.

Police and rescue teams carry a passenger at the port in Jindo 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.

A man in Seoul watches a news broadcast about the sinking vessel.

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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Photos: South Korean ship sinks

The captain was one of at least 174 people rescued soon after the Sewol began to sink, violating an "internationally recognized rule that a captain must stay on the vessel," maritime law attorney Jack Hickey said.

"Pretty much every law, rule, regulation and standard throughout the world says that yes, the captain must stay with the ship until all personnel are safely off of the ship, certainly passengers."

More ships, aircraft

Hopes of finding the missing alive dimmed further when the entire boat became submerged Friday. Until then, part of the ship's blue-and-white hull was still poking out of the frigid waters of the Yellow Sea.

The coast guard said workers continued to pump air into the hull of the submerged ship, but could not stop its descent.

South Korean officials said Saturday they are sending in 176 ships, 28 aircraft and 652 divers to take part in the search and rescue efforts.

CNN's Paula Hancocks reported from Jindo, and Faith Karimi and Chelsea J Carter reported and wrote from Atlanta.

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