This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The South Korean government has conceded that some bodies recovered from the sunken ferry Sewol have been misidentified and announced changes to prevent such mistakes from happening again.

South Korean media reports this week revealed bodies were going to the wrong families, with the error sometimes caught only after the remains were taken to a funeral home.

An "action plan" released by the government-wide emergency taskforce acknowledged "there have been cases where the victims were wrongly transferred".

Remains will be transferred to families when there is a match using DNA testing or fingerprint or dental records, the taskforce said.

The transfer will be temporary when a body is matched though identification or physical description, and authorities will wait for more evidence before making the transfer permanent.

Divers have recovered 183 bodies so far, but 119 people missing and are feared dead in the dark rooms of the submerged vessel.

The ferry capsized on 16 April while on its way from Incheon to the southern tourist island of Jeju. More than 80% of the 302 dead and missing are students from a high school in Ansan, south of Seoul.

Eleven crew members, including the captain, have been arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need. Prosecutor Yang Jung-jin, of the joint investigation team, said on Friday excessive veering, improper stowage of cargo, modifications made to the ship and tidal influence could have caused the Sewol to capsize. He said investigators will determine the cause by consulting with experts and simulations.