Crew of S Korean ferry go on trial on various charges

[GWANGJU, South Korea] Fifteen crew of a South Korean ferry that sank in April, killing more than 300 people, mostly children, went on trial yesterday on charges ranging from negligence to homicide.

Captain Lee Joon-seok, 68, and three senior crew were charged with homicide, facing a maximum sentence of death. Two were charged with fleeing and abandoning ship that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Nine were charged with negligence, which can also carry jail terms.

But family members appeared to have already convicted the crew who were caught on video abandoning ship, the captain in his underwear, while the children, obeying orders, waited in their cabins for further instructions.