JINDO, South Korea, April 26 — Death toll from the South Korean ferry disaster rose to 187 on Saturday morning after two bodies were recovered overnight, Xinhua news agency reported.
The number of rescued passengers remained unchanged at 174 since the first day the vessel sank, with 115 people still missing.
Search and rescue operations slowed from Thursday as tidal currents became stronger in waters near Jindo Island, where the ferry Sewol carrying 476 people consisting mostly high school students capsized and sank on April 16.
Divers recovered 11 bodies on Friday and 15 on Thursday from the sunken ship. Search operations will resume on Saturday afternoon.
Climatic conditions were forecast to grow worse as rain and strong winds are expected from Saturday night.
Wind was blowing at a speed of 7.6 metres per second in the area with waves reaching 60 centimetres in the morning before rising to over a metre later.
–BERNAMA
