Surviving passengers of a South Korean ferry which sunk in April, killing 304 people, are due to give evidence in the trial of its captain and 14 crew members.
Students from the Danwon High School in Ansan, 18 miles south of Seoul, will testify with other passengers in a smaller court nearer to their home, rather than the one where the defendants are being seen in Gwangju, in the south of the country.
The Sewol ferry set sail on 16 April with 476 passengers and crew on board - more than 300 of which were schoolchildren.
They were enroute from the mainland to the island resort of Jeju as part of a school trip, when nearing the end of the journey, the vessel, which was overloaded, also made a sharp turn to the right causing it to capsize.
Captain Lee Joon-seok, 68, was caught on rescue footage being one of the first to leave the ship, while many passengers, obeying orders, remained in the cabins. It is thought a delayed evacuation order from the captain did not get through to all remaining on board.
The captain and 3 officers are charged with "homicide through wilful negligence," a charge that comes with the death penalty if found guilty, while the others face negligence and abandoning ship counts which come with hefty prison sentences.
"The examination of witnesses will be held at the Ansan branch since the students are minors, most of them live in Ansan, and that it is difficult for them to be on a long-distance trip due to the side effects of the accident," Judge Yim Jeong-yeob said in his ruling, the Korea Herald reported.
Source: The Independent, June 24, 2014
