Investigators believe the South Korean passenger Ferry Sewol may have been going too fast before it capsized and sank with 476 passengers and crew on board.  Divers have recovered 104 bodies so far, with 198 still missing.  A death toll of more than 300 would make this one of South Korea’s worst peacetime disasters.

174 people were rescued last Wednesday shortly after the ferry tipped over.  Among them were the captain and several senior crewmembers from the bridge, and they are now facing several charges for their conduct.  In one arrest document, prosecutors say the vessel undertook an “excessive change of course without slowing down” while traversing a channel off South Korea's southwestern tip. 

Captain Lee Joon-seok is also charged with negligence in failing to evacuate passengers.  Crewmembers from the decks down below told investigators that they repeatedly asked officers on the bridge whether or not to give the order to abandon ship, but received no response.

Civilian volunteer divers are playing a large role in recovering the bodies of the missing.  They say the conditions below the surface are awful – strong currents, murky waters, and an unstable vessel.

“We need cranes to come in and lift the vessel so that the water depth decreases,” said volunteer Hwang Jang-Bok.  “Then rescue efforts can pick up speed.  But at a depth of 30 to 45 meters, even if there were survivors, it would be difficult to bring them up.”