Many have grown furious, blaming the government for a lack of information and what they described as a slow reaction to probably South Korea's worst maritime accident in 20 years.

A TV footage showed the angry crowd yelled and poured water at Prime Minister Chung Hong-won when he visited the shelter. Some blamed the government for not sending enough divers.

Passengers wait for words

'I am sorry,' captain says

Many people were so worried that they could not stay indoors and rushed to Jindo harbor, wrapped in blankets against the spring cold. Some even hired their own boat and decided to take a reporter or a diver to the rescue scene.

The 6,825-ton "Sewol" sank off the Jindo Island, near the southwest corner of the Korean Peninsula, at around 11:30 am local time Wednesday. It had sent out a distress signal at about 8:52 am and had remained afloat in the waters for some two and a half hours with its body being tilted.

"I heard a big thumping sound and the boat started to tilt," one survivor said.

"I ran out to have a look and saw the ferry listing by 90 degrees," said 57-year-old Mr. Yoo. He said the ferry had three decks, with a canteen, shops and entertainment facilities at lower deck.

"Since water poured in suddenly and submerged all the floors quickly, many people staying in lower cabins were trapped and had no time to escape," Yoo recalled.

Several survivors said they had been ordered to stay put. When the vessel tipped sharply, the passengers bumped into each other and some of them were injured by falling luggage and goods containers.

Kang, another survivor, said events happened within a very short period of time and he narrowly escaped but there was no time for him to help others.

Some passengers put on life jackets and jumped into the sea. They clambered into inflatable rafts and were rescued by Coast Guard vessels and fishing boats.

It was still unknown why the ferry sank in apparently calm waters. Divers sent down to the wreck are looking to check whether there is a submerged rock and if the ship has a hole in its hull.

There were reports saying the ship have veered off course. However, the Chonghaejin Marine Co Ltd, the registered owner of Sewol, said it did not deviate significantly.

The ferry's original captain who had gone on vacation was replaced by a substitute surnamed Lee, who the company claimed is a veteran with eight years of experience on the Incheon-Jeju Island route.

The ship was not equipped with a voyage data recorder because it was a coastal ferry that sails relatively short distances, according to local media.

Sewol, which travels twice a week between Incheon and Jeju, was built in Japan in 1994 and could carry a maximum of 921 people, 180 vehicles and 152 shipping containers.

No irregularities were found on the ship during a safety check in February.