DHAKA: The total known death toll from the South Korean capsized ferry has now reached 121, as more bodies were brought back to Paengmok Port on Tuesday night.

Of the 479 passengers and crew on board, only 174 people have been rescued and 181 remain missing, presumed drowned.

Of those aboard, 339 were children and teachers on a high school outing.

The authorities were poised to attempt to lift the vessel using cranes last on Tuesday, but with so many bodies still to be found, they were not yet ready to begin the operation.

"We still have a lot of missing bodies. Shouldn`t we find as many as possible before moving on?" asked Kim Hyungi-gi, the main representative for the victims` families.

The families have set a deadline of Thursday for the retrieval of all the bodies.

The Sewol ferry sank last Wednesday on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon to the traditional honeymoon island of Jeju, reports the Al-Jazeera.

BDST: 0923 HRS, APR 23, 2014