Over 200 bodies found dead as S’Korea president apologises over ferry disaster

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has apologised over the ferry disaster, in a statement to cabinet shown on national television.

Park said that the government had failed to prevent the disaster and bungled its emergency response.

Her apology comes amid ongoing work to retrieve bodies from the sunken hull.

The ferry sank with 476 people aboard – most of them high school students and teachers – off South Korea on 16 April. A total of 174 were rescued.

The remainder have been confirmed dead or missing presumed drowned.

Officials have retrieved almost 200 bodies and divers are continuing to search for those still unaccounted for.

“I don’t know how to apologise for the failure to prevent this accident, and for the insufficient first response,” Park said in the statement.

“I am sorry to the people and heavy-hearted that many precious lives were lost.”