Bodies of 48 girls found crammed in one cabin... horror of South Korean ferry tragedy emerges as bungling officials admit sending victims to the WRONG funeral homes

Divers reveal 48 girls wearing lifejackets were discovered in one cabin with a capacity of 30

Officials admit they have also mixed up the bodies of some victims, forcing them to carry out DNA testing



About 20 relatives reported to have earlier forced way into office of Deputy Director of the Korea Coastguard and dragged him outside

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

South Korean government has conceded some bodies have been misidentified and announced changes to prevent similar mistakes

Opposition politician claims he has documents which show the ferry was carrying more than three-and-a-half times more cargo than allowed



The bodies of 48 young girls wearing lifejackets have been discovered in a single cabin of the doomed South Korean ferry, as government officials were forced to admit they sent the wrong bodies home to several grieving families.



As frustrated relatives of those missing on the Sewol ferry vented their anger at the pace of the search efforts, rescuers said the bodies of the 48 girls had been discovered in a cabin with a capacity of 30.

In a further blow to shattered families, the South Korean government has also been forced to admit that it in some cases bodies of the victims were 'wrongly transferred.'

Bodies will now be identified through DNA and finger-print testing to ensure the correct victims are sent home for burial.



The bungle heightened public outrage even further, as families wait to confirm the loss of up to 300 mainly young lives in the disaster.



About 20 relatives were reported to have forced their way into the office of Choi Sang-hwan, the Deputy Director of the Korea Coastguard, before dragging him outside.

The South Korean government has today conceded that some of the recovered bodies have been misidentified and announced changes to prevent such mistakes in the future.

Meanwhile, an opposition politician has also claimed he has documents from the Korean Register of Shipping which show the ferry was carrying more than three-and-a-half times more cargo than regulators allowed.

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Angry family members of missing passengers onboard the capsized Sewol ferry drag Choi Sang-hwan, deputy head of the South Korean coast guard (centre, in blue), out from his office to vent their frustration at the pace of the search efforts

Coastguard official Choi Sang-hwan is surrounded by relatives of passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol as they vent their frustration at the pace of the rescue operation

About 20 relatives were reported to have forced their way into the office of Choi Sang-hwan, the Deputy Director of the Korea Coastguard, before dragging him outside

Captain Kim Jin-hwang, a navy officer who is commanding the rescue operation, told CNN divers were trying to reach a cabin where they believe up to 50 girls may be.

Officials have said conditions remain difficult inside the sunken ferry, while many of the recovered bodies are wearing life vests, which are believed to have made it more difficult to escape after the ship tilted.

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

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



Families held a marathon confrontation with South Korea's fisheries minister and the coastguard chief, surrounding them in an overnight stand-off that lasted into today.

Dozens crowded around the grim-faced officials, who sat on the ground and tried to explain the search efforts. One man threatened to punch reporters gathered near the tent.

Mourners pay silent tribute to the victims of the sunken ferry Sewol at a temporary memorial at the auditorium of the Olympic Memorial Museum in Ansan on Friday

A diver jumps into the sea during the search operation for the victims of the sunken Sewol ferry

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

Relatives occasionally shouted, accusing the officials of lying about the operation and asking why hundreds of civilian divers have not been allowed to join coastguard and navy efforts in searching for bodies.

Some of the relatives cried through the early hours of the tense scene, but as morning came the mood of the discussion mellowed.

It was the latest expression of fury and desperation in a disaster filled with signs that the government did too little to protect passengers.

An opposition politician said he has a document showing that the ferry was carrying far more cargo than it should have been.

Relatives of the missing passengers surrounded oceans and fisheries minister Lee Ju-young, coastguard chief Kim Seok-kyun and deputy chief Choi Sang-hwan.

'We are doing our work and we, too, feel the way you do,' Mr Kim said. 'We are trying to bring all the equipment that we can.'

U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, right, pay a silent tribute to the victims of South Korea's sunken ferry Sewol during their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Friday

A South Korea navy officer gives a briefing about a rescue operation to the family members of missing passengers onboard the sunken passenger ship Sewol

About 700 divers were working at the site of the April 16 wreck, said Koh Myung-seok, spokesman for the government-wide emergency task force. He said more than 340 volunteer divers visited, but only 16 had gone underwater.

Responding to complaints that the volunteers have been underutilised, Mr Koh said some were allowed to dive but 'left after taking photos or have come out of the water in less than 10 minutes. As a result, we have decided that civilian divers are slowing down the rescue process' and will not be allowed to participate.

The government has said the search is becoming more difficult because divers must now break through cabin walls to find more bodies. Many of the bodies already retrieved were in a larger lounge area.

Meanwhile, as visiting President Barack Obama offered South Koreans his condolences today for the ferry disaster, the South Korean government conceded that some bodies have been misidentified and announced changes to prevent such mistakes from happening again.



There have been several reports in South Korean media this week of bodies going to the wrong families, with the error sometimes caught only after the remains were taken to a funeral home.



A relative of a passenger aboard the sunken ferry Sewol prays after releasing a paper boat with messages wishing for the safe return of his missing loved one

As the death toll rose to 181, relatives camped out under a tent where details about the recovered dead are posted, setting up mattresses and blankets

A relative of a passenger aboard the sunken ferry Sewol in the water off the southern coast, prays as he waits for news on his missing loved one at a port in Jindo, South Korea

Remains will be transferred to families when there is a match using DNA testing or fingerprint or dental records, the task force said. The transfer will be temporary when a body is matched through identification or physical description, and authorities will wait for more authoritative evidence before making the transfer permanent.



Obama arrived Friday afternoon at the Blue House, South Korea's presidential residence, and presented President Park Geun-hye with an American flag that flew over the White House the day the ship sank. His first South Korean visit since Park took office last year was aimed at issues including North Korea, but he noted that his trip comes at a time of 'great sorrow.'



'So many were young students with their entire lives ahead of them,' Obama said, invoking his two daughters, both close in age to many of the ferry victims. 'I can only imagine what the parents are going through at this point, the incredible heartache.'



Obama said he was donating a magnolia tree from the White House lawn to Danwon High School in Ansan in honour of the lives lost and as a symbol of friendship between the U.S. and South Korea.

Coastguard boats and search and rescue teams take part in recovery operations at night at the site of the 'Sewol' ferry disaster

The cause of the disaster is not yet known, but prosecutors are considering factors including a turn made around the time the ship began listing, wind, ocean currents, modifications made to the ship and the freight it was carrying

Eleven crew members, including the captain, have been arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need as the ferry sank on its way from Incheon port to the southern island of Jeju

About 700 divers were working at the site of the April 16 wreck, said Koh Myung-seok, spokesman for the government-wide emergency task force

Eleven crew members, including the captain, have been arrested on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need as the ferry sank on its way from Incheon port to the southern island of Jeju.

The cause of the disaster is not yet known, but prosecutors are considering factors including a turn made around the time the ship began listing, wind, ocean currents, modifications made to the ship and the freight it was carrying.

Moon Ki-han, a vice president at Union Transport, which loaded the Sewol's cargo, said it was carrying an estimated 3,608 tons of cargo, far more than Captain Lee Joon-seok is said to have reported in paperwork submitted to the Korea Shipping Association - 150 cars and 657 tons of other cargo. Motor vehicles typically weigh about a ton each.

MP Kim Yung-rok of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, an opposition party, said he had documents from the Korean Register of Shipping that show the Sewol was carrying more than three and a half times more cargo than regulators allowed.



Rescue team personnel take part in recovery operations at the site of the sunken South Korean ferry 'Sewol'

Relatives onboard a ship visit the site of the sunken South Korean ferry 'Sewol' on Thursday

Two giant buoys that mark the spot where the 'Sewol' ferry sank are silhouetted against the sunset in Jindo on Thursday

Mr Kim said a register inspector, examining the ship as it was being modified to carry more passengers, found that its centre of gravity had been raised 51 centimeters (20ins), and its cargo limit would have to be reduced by more than half, from 2,437 tons to 987 tons. The modifications were made in late 2012 and early 2013.

Shipowner Chonghaejin Marine reported a capacity of 3,963 tons, according to a coastguard official in Incheon who had access to the documentation. That is the same maximum tonnage the ferry had under its previous Japanese owner, 'A' Line Ferry, before Chonghaejin modified the vessel, according to Takaharu Miyazono of 'A' Line.

It was unclear why the earlier maximum tonnage noted in the register document was lower than that provided by either Chonghaejin or the previous owner.

Officials with South Korea's maritime ministry and coastguard each said they were not even aware of the Sewol's cargo capacity, saying it was the shipping association's job to oversee it. The shipping association is private and is partly funded by the industry it regulates.

A candlelight vigil is held for the passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol in Ansan, South Korea, on Thursday

The government has said the search is becoming more difficult because divers must now break through cabin walls to find more bodies

A woman places a candle with others during a candlelight vigil for the passengers of the sunken ferry Sewol in Ansan, South Korea

Even the report by the inspector reflects 'a problem in the system', said Lee Gwee Bok, president of Incheon Port Development Association and a former captain. He said the Sewol never should have been cleared for operation because the register should have known the shipowner would never meet the conditions.

'The ship's operator aims to make money and instinctively tries to add more freight,' Mr Lee said.

More than 80 per cent of the dead and missing were junior pupils at Danwon High School in Anwan, south of Seoul, where seniors yesterday returned to a campus strewn with yellow ribbons, chrysanthemums and photos of lost classmates and teachers.