DHAKA: The captain and three other crew members of the Sewol, the South Korean ferry that sank last month, have been charged with murder, chief prosecutor Yang Joon-jin said Thursday.

The captain, Lee Joon-seok, along with the chief engineer, and the first and second mates, could face the death penalty if convicted of the charges. But it has been nearly two decades since the capital punishment was last carried out in South Korea.

The prosecutor's office says the remaining 11 crew members have been indicted on charges of abandonment and violating a ship safety act.

The Sewol ferry sank en route to Jeju Island on April 16, killing 281 people and leaving 23 others still missing. Most of the passengers were students on a school field trip.

Some of the crew members' conduct have come under heavy criticism of abandoning ship while hundreds of passengers remained inside. Passengers were instructed not to move and to stay in place as the ferry listed.

A few days after the incident, Lee initially defended his actions, saying he had not evacuated passengers because the rescue boats had not arrived yet, and the tide was strong, and water cold.

Footage of the captain in what looks like his underwear hopping into the arms of the rescuer, while hundreds of passengers remained inside the sinking ship, infuriated South Koreans.

Lee had not been at helm of the ferry when it started to sink.

The Sewol disaster caused widespread outrage in South Korea over lax safety standards and the failure to rescue more people as the ship foundered.

Source: CNN

BDST: 1257 HRS, MAY 15, 2014