Tthousands of mourners paid tearful respects yesterday at a temporary memorial to the hundreds of student victims of South Korea's ferry disaster, as the grim search for bodies entered a second week.

The confirmed death toll stood at 150, but 152 were still unaccounted for, their bodies believed trapped in the inverted, submerged ship that sank a week ago in circumstances that have yet to be fully explained.

As the relatives of the missing began their daily vigil at the harbor on Jindo island, where bodies recovered from the disaster site are brought, others converged on a temporary memorial to the victims in Ansan, which has become a focal point of national mourning.

The city is home to the Danwon High School which had 352 students and a dozen teachers on the Sewol when it capsized.

Nearly 280 students are among the dead and missing.

Memorial in stadium

The memorial, set up in an indoor sports stadium, was opened yesterday and comprised a giant altar in the form of a terraced bank of flowers — white, yellow and green chrysanthemums — among which rested the framed pictures and names of students whose funerals have already taken place. Above the floral wall a large banner carried the message: "We pray for the souls of the departed."

One woman railed tearfully against the authorities for not saving more people, while one large floral tribute carried a sash with a message: "I hate the Republic of Korea."

North Korea sent its condolences yesterday via a Red Cross channel used for inter-Korean communications.

In Jindo harbor, the latest bodies recovered from the ferry were taken to a small tented village for the identifying process.

"I'm here to help you recognize the dead," a forensic official told a group of relatives. "We have cleaned the bodies, but did not take their clothes and socks off so that you can recognise them more easily," the official said.

Piercing cry

Each positive identification was marked by a piercing cry of anguished recognition and an outpouring of grief from the family members.

Prosecutors yesterday raided a host of businesses affiliated with the ferry operator, the Chonghaejin Marine Company. The raid was part of a probe into "overall corruption in management."

More than 70 executives and others connected with Chonghaejin and its affiliates have been issued 30-day travel bans while they are investigated on charges ranging from criminal negligence to embezzlement.

The ship's captain, Lee Joon-seok and his crew members have been pilloried in the media for abandoning the ship while hundreds remained trapped inside. President Park Geun-hye described their actions as being "tantamount to murder."

There has been particular criticism of Lee's decision to delay the evacuation order until the vessel was listing so sharply that escape had become almost impossible.

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