Rescue teams are battling bad weather conditions as they search for around 290 people who remain missing after a South Korean ferry capsized and sank.
Nine people have already been confirmed dead and the death toll is expected to increase sharply in what could be the country's worst maritime accident in two decades.
The dead include a female teacher, a female member of the crew and three male school students, while the majority of those who remain unaccounted for are from the same school field trip.
Many of those on board the ferry were school students So far 179 people have been rescued - among them Kwon Ji-yeon, a six-year-old girl whose parents are still on the missing list.
Strong currents and bad visibility hampered the search as rescue teams hammered on the vessel's hull, hoping in vain for a response.
Twenty divers tried to get inside the wreckage but could not because of the current.
Distraught relatives wait for news in a gym on Jindo Island A man identified by broadcaster YTN and news agency Yonhap as the ferry's captain has briefly appeared on television, his face covered by a grey hoodie.
"I'm really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said, as he was being questioned at the Mokpo coastguard.
Video footage has emerged apparently showing passengers in life jackets as the boat began to sink.
The ferry got into trouble on its journey to Jeju Passenger Koo Bon-hee, 36, told reporters many people were trapped inside by windows that were too hard to break.
Distraught family members are gathered on the quay of Jindo Island, huddled in blankets against the cold as they wait for any news.
"If I could teach myself to dive, I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter," Park Yung-suk told the Reuters news agency.
Coast Guard and rescue teams searching for missing passengers Some relatives have turned their anger on the government and coastguard, shouting at officials: "The weather's nice, why aren't you starting the rescue?"
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, who said there was not "a minute or a second to waste", had water thrown at him when he visited the port.
The ship set sail from the port of Incheon on Tuesday carrying 475 passengers, nearly 340 of them teenagers and teachers from the Danwon school near the capital Seoul.
Its destination, along a well-travelled route, was Jeju island around 60 miles (100km) south of the Korean peninsula.
It is not clear why the 6,586 tonne vessel, which was built in Japan 20 years ago, sank in apparently calm waters.
However, some survivors spoke of hearing a loud noise before disaster struck.
State broadcaster YTN quoted investigation officials as saying the ship was off its usual course after being hit by strong winds, which caused containers stacked on deck to shift.
The registered owner of the ship, Chonghaejin Marine Co Ltd, has offered an apology but declined to comment further.
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