The captain and crew of a ferry that sank off the southwest coast took no emergency measures but simply instructed passengers over the ferry's public address system to remain where they were and abandoned ship.

Lee Joon-seok (69) and some of his crew were among the first to escape while hundreds of passengers became trapped in the capsized Sewol in waters off Jindo, South Jeolla Province. Prosecutors are considering an indictment.

Maritime police on Thursday said Lee put out a distress call to Jeju Island, where it was heading, at around 8:55 a.m. after the ferry began to capsize some three minutes earlier. At around 9 a.m., he realized the seriousness of the situation and ordered his crew to evacuate but apparently told the passengers to stay put.

According to survivors, Lee told his crew to tell the passengers to remain in their cabins, boarded a lifeboat and left the scene of the accident.

At around 9:50 a.m., Lee was rescued by maritime police along with his chief engineer. Even then passengers were being instructed by crew to wait inside the safe cabins since it was "dangerous" to go outside.

Lee set foot on dry land at 11 a.m. even before the ferry was completely submerged at 11: 20 a.m.