3 More Bodies Raise Ferry Death Toll to 32

Relatives start giving DNA swabs to help identify victims
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 19, 2014 9:43 AM CDT
3 More Bodies Raise Ferry Death Toll to 32
South Korean navy personnel search for missing passengers of the sunken ferry.   (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korean coast guard officials say they've found three more bodies from the capsized ferry, raising the death toll to 32. The latest were recovered today, three days after the ferry sank. The vessel is now completely submerged, and relatives have begun giving DNA swabs to help identify bodies when they are recovered, reports Reuters. About 270 are believed to be inside the ferry, but strong currents continue to prevent divers from reaching them. Today's updated death toll follows the arrest of the captain and two junior officers on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need.

"Please lift the ship, so we can get the bodies out," a mother of a missing teen pleaded with officials in a gymnasium packed with relatives. (More ferry stories.)

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