Death toll surges to 108 in S Korean ferry sinking accident

Death toll in the South Korean ferry sinking accident surged on Tuesday afternoon to 108 as divers were intensively searching inside the submerged hull.

As of 3 p.m. local time, 108 people have been confirmed dead, and 194 others were still missing, said Koh Myung-seok, director general of equipment and technology bureau of the coast guard. The number of the rescued was unchanged at 174.

Koh, who represents the pan-government response center, said the total number of passengers on board the ferry could be changed in accordance with search and rescue operations, noting the exact figure has been under investigation.

Asked whether it was not a fixed number, he said it was not a final figure, indicating readings for the missing can be changed.

Touching on the three foreigners' bodies, which were retrieved on Monday night, the spokesman said the authorities informed the Chinese embassy of the two bodies being Chinese men, but he said that the third body had yet to be confirmed.

The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized and sank off Jindo Island, a southwestern tip of South Korea, on Wednesday, carrying 476 people including 325 Danwon High School students and 14 teachers.