The captain and crew of the Sewol came under fire for abandoning the hundreds of passengers trapped inside the sinking ferry and saving themselves.

Twenty out of the total 29 crew members, including the captain, were among the first saved. In fact, the captain was among the first 50 people saved with one witness saying he didn’t appear wet. Many of the survivors have said that there was never an announcement to evacuate the sinking ship; rather they were told to stay in their cabins.

“I feel so sorry,” Lee Jun-seok, the 60-year-old captain told reporters after being questioned by on April 17. To the families of the missing passengers, Lee said, “I have nothing to say.”

By Park So-eun (spark@heraldcorp.com)