'We're tilting': Cell phone video on ferry captures uncertainty on board
April 28, 2014 -- Updated 0055 GMT (0855 HKT)
South Korean Buddhists carry lanterns in a parade in Seoul on Saturday, April 26, to honor the memory of the dead and the safe return of the missing from the sunken ferry Sewol. The parade was part of the Lotus Lantern Festival for the upcoming birthday of Buddha, on May 6. More than 100 people are dead and many more still are missing after the ferry sank Wednesday, April 16, as it headed to the resort island of Jeju from the port of Incheon.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- One of the teenage victims took cell phone video as the Sewol ferry began to sink
- His father turned it over to South Korean TV after the phone was recovered with son's body
- Loudspeaker announcements can be heard telling passengers to stay put
- The South Korean government has been criticized for its slow response to the disaster
(CNN) -- "Wow, it's tilting a lot. We're tilting to this side. Can't move."
"You think I'm really gonna die?"
"What's going on?"
These are the voices of some of the people on the Sewol ferry as it began to sink off the southwestern coast of South Korea on April 16. A teenage boy on the vessel captured these desperate moments on cell phone video, according to South Korean national TV network JTBC. The teen's father gave the network the footage after authorities recovered his son's body and found the cell phone. Its memory card was still intact, JTBC reported.
The network shared a roughly three-minute audio clip of the video with CNN, which translated the exchanges.
It would seem to be the first glimpse at the uncertainty inside the ferry as it made its way from Incheon, a port west of Seoul, to Jeju, a resort island off South Korea's southern coast.
Arrests and an investigation
Many in the country have lambasted the government's response to the disaster, saying it has been too slow. South Korean authorities are pressing a criminal investigation.
The ship's captain and 14 others have been arrested. Prosecutors in Mokpo, South Korea, who are leading the ferry investigation, tell CNN that all the 15 crew members in charge of sailing and the engine room have been indicted and are being held in the Mokpo prison.
On Sunday, South Korea's prime minister announced his resignation, saying he wants to take responsibility for the initial reaction to the ferry's disaster.
Chung Hong-won apologized "on behalf of the government for the many problems that arose during the first response and the subsequent rescue operation," in addition to "problems that existed before the accident."
While political fallout occurs, the father of the boy who shot the video is beside himself with grief.
"My son, it must have been cold and dark where you were," said Park Jong-dae, weeping as he read a statement on JTBC. "How much you must have been cold and afraid?
"I hoped and prayed for your survival, but it didn't turn out that way. My son, now it's time for us to say goodbye. It's time for you and me to say goodbye and for me to let go of the hope that I could not let go so far. Please forgive me. Farewell ..."
Confusion and a warning to stay put
The people heard on the audio seem to know the ferry is listing. Among the passengers were 300 students from Danwon High School, who were on a field trip.
"Mom, dad, dad, dad! What about my younger sibling?" one cries.
Some ask about life jackets. A voice on a PA system warns that everyone should stay where they are: "Do not move from your present location and please stay ..."
While some seem confused, there are people who appear to joke around, clearly not fully comprehending the gravity of what's happening. At one point a voice is heard saying, "This trip is screwed."
Some passengers talk to one another, trying to reassure and inform. Another voice says, "I think it's calming down."
Then: "Is it calming down?"
"It's going more to the left."
"I think it's better than it was before."
"I'm wearing the life vest."
"I'm wearing one, too. I really have to."
"I have to wear one, too."
Some appear to try to help others.
One shouts, "Hey!" then says the name of someone who doesn't have a life jacket. "We need to get one!"
As the video continues, it seems that no one knows what's really happening.
"What's the captain doing?" one person asks.
Later, a voice is heard saying, "They should let us know what's going on."
As of Sunday, searchers continue to still look for passengers and crew, and so far have retrieved 188 bodies. Another 114 people are still missing. The fate of those seen and heard on the video is not known.
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