(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) ndo South Korea April 22 - The confirmed death toll from South Korea's worst ferry accident in over 20 years surpassed 100 on Tuesday but more than 200 people remained missing amid stepped-up search operations. The death toll from the 6825-ton ferry Sewol hit 104 early Tuesday as divers retrieved 17 more bodies as their search focused on decks of the five-story vessel where most of those unaccounted for are believed to have been trapped. On the previous day a total of 28 bodies were recovered from the section according to (Yonhap) news agency. "Underwater operations will focus on the third and fourth floors while vessels will search waters to prevent bodies from drifting away" the government disaster management team said in a briefing. "Search operations will go smoothly as waves in the rescue site are forecast to be about 0.5 meter high and the speed of the currents is slow." The operations have transited from rescue to recovery and identification as hopes of finding any survivors were fading rapidly as none of missing passengers have been found alive since the ship sank off the southwestern island of Jindo on Wednesday. Of the 476 people on board only 174 passengers including the ferry's captain and most of its crew were rescued as the boat listed due to what is believed to have been a faster than usual turn. Ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea later this week the Pentagon on Monday said it is sending a salvage ship USNS Safeguard toward the peninsula from Thailand in case it is needed. USS Bonhomme Richard an amphibious assault ship is already helping with the search of survivors.
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