We begin at Paengmok-hang harbor,... the closest area from where the accident took place.
Our Ji Myung-kil... is standing by at the site.
Myung-kil... what's the latest on the situation there?
The death toll is rising fast... and currently stands at 150. Divers are searching the third and fourth floors of the vessel where many passengers were believed to have been at the time the ferry sank.
Divers are having a tough time fighting against the strong currents and the low visibility in the water.
They are still limited to 20 minutes under the water.
More than 150 people remain unaccounted for... and are presumably trapped inside the sunken ferry.
Of that total, nearly 90 percent are students from Danwon High School.
More than 200 rescue ships, 34 aircraft, and 550 divers are continuing their rescue operations.
Temporary funeral parlors were set up at the Paengmok-hang harbor today... to provide funeral services to the families who lost their loved ones.
How are the families handling this impossibly difficult situation?
It is another day of endless waiting for the bereaved families who are, as you would imagine, in total despair.
I got a chance to talk to a father whose son was on the Sewol-ho.
He said that when he first received the news,... he was assured by Danwon High School that his son was alive.
He remains one of the missing.
"My son was very gentle. He was a quiet boy and never disobeyed us. He would listen to all the things we would say to him as parents. He was very diligent and thoughtful."
... ... ... .
He said... he justed wanted to say his final words to his 18-year-old son.
"My son,... I feel really sorry for the things I wasn't able to give you... although sometimes I scolded you. That was because I loved you so much. I love you Jung-min . It's heart-breaking to think of the horror you must have gone through..."
.... .... ....
The father said... he wanted the sunken vessel to be lifted to the surface as soon as possible so that he could see his son for one last time.
This was Ji Myung-kil, reporting live from Paengmok-hang harbor.
