Diver dies in South Korea ferry recovery effort

A civilian diver involved in the search for dozens of people missing in the South Korean ferry disaster died Tuesday. Meanwhile, other divers, helped by better weather and easing ocean currents, were increasing efforts to retrieve more bodies from the sunken ship.

The Sewol carried 476 people, most of them students from a single high school near Seoul, when it sank off South Korea’s southern coast on April 16. Only 174 survived, including 22 of the 29 crew members. More than 260 bodies have been recovered, and about 40 people are still missing.

The diver, who was 53, died at a hospital after becoming unconscious, government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok said in a statement. It is the first fatality among divers mobilized after the sinking, according to the coast guard.

He was pulled to the surface by fellow divers after losing communication about five minutes after he began an underwater search, Ko said. It was the diver’s first search attempt, he added.

Despite the diver’s death, other divers are continuing the search. Authorities believe most of the missing people are in 64 of the ship’s 111 areas. Ko said divers have searched those 64 areas at least once and plan to visit them again to look for more victims.

Darkness, floating debris and the ship’s maze of corridors and cabins have made the search difficult, and divers entered the last three unopened areas on Monday night, Ko said.

Investigators have made their first arrests of people who were not on board the Sewol when it sank. Three people were arrested on Friday and Sunday on charges of of negligence in their handling of cargo on the vessel, according to prosecutors.

In all, 19 people have been arrested in the investigation, 15 of them crew members accused of abandoning passengers. An executive with ties to Chonghaejin, the company that owns the ferry, was detained on suspicion of malpractice related to company finances.

Improper stowage and overloading of cargo is suspected as a reason the ferry sank. It was carrying an estimated 3,608 tons of cargo, more than three times what it could safely carry. A ferry loaded too heavily can lose its balance making even a small turn.

As of Sunday, 1.1 million people had paid respects at 131 memorial altars throughout South Korea, according to a governmental funeral support committee set up for the ferry victims. Tuesday was a national holiday in South Korea for Buddha’s birthday, and more people are expected to visit the altars. 

The Associated Press