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South Korean president says ferry crews’ actions ‘like an act of murder’ amid fresh arrests

South Korean President Park Guen-hye has described the actions of the captain and crew of the sunken ferry as “tantamount to murder”. Sixty-four people are known to have died with 238 missing presumed dead after the vessel carrying 476 passengers and crew capsized last week. The captain and two other crew members have been charged with negligence and violation of maritime law. Four others have since been detained. “The conduct of the captain and some crew members makes no sense and it was like an act of murder that cannot and should not be tolerated. Right after the accident, the captain did not immediately follow the evacuation orders of the Jindo Vessel Traffic Services Centre (VTS). While telling the passengers to stay where they were, they the captain and some of his crew members left the passengers and escaped first. This is legally and ethically something that is unimaginable,” said the president. Grief stricken family and friends of those missing are still waiting for news at a gymnasium in Jindo close to where the the ferry went down. Divers are now beginning to recover more and more bodies and two US undersea drones are assisting in recovery efforts. Bad weather is said to be hampering the operation.