South Korean ferry death toll rises to 242

 

The grim reality has begun to set in for the relatives of those aboard the South Korean Sewol ferry, as officials have confirmed yet more deaths.The search-and-rescue operation has long since turned into a grueling recovery of corpses. No one has been found alive since the day the ship sank. The work has become even more difficult as divers have had to break through closed cabin doors blocked by debris, according to the semiofficial Yonhap News Agency.Over a 24-hour span, the South Korean coast guard confirmed 14 more deaths, totaling 242, with 60 people still missing.The ferry sank April 16 while en route from Incheon to Jeju, a resort island off the nation's southwestern coast.