The captain of a ferry carrying hundreds of passengers that sank off the southern coast of South Korea Wednesday morning was one of the first to abandon the ship as it went down, sparking an investigation into possible criminal conduct, ABC News reported.
Of the 475 passengers, mostly students, ten are dead and nearly 300 are still missing.
The captain, Lee Joon-seok apparently abandoned the ship on a lifeboat about half an hour after he reported the ferry was sinking. Other survivors also said the captain was one of the first to be rescued, according to The Independent.
The captain went under questioning at the Mokpo Coast Guard Office.
"I am really sorry and deeply ashamed," the captain said on a Korean TV station, The Independent reported. "I don't know what to say."
The first distress call from the multiple-level ferry was sent at around 9 a.m., local time, as it was leaning to one side. Rescue teams were able to save 164 passengers, but 292 are still missing. The death toll is expected to rise as Navy and Coast Guard divers continue their search, ABC News reported. The cause of the accident is not yet known.
According to a crew member, an immediate evacuation order was not issued as the ship began to lean because officers were attempting to stabilize the ship, The Independent reported. The crew member said he did not know if the captain's order was passed on to the passengers over the ferry's address system.
The captain first told passengers to put on their life jackets and stay on the ferry. An evacuation order wasn't issued until 30 minutes later, according to the Associated Press.
But some survivors said they did not receive an order to evacuate, according to The Independent.
It is not yet known if any of the captain's actions were criminal.
