Crew ‘instructed teens to stay in sinking ferry’

Six teenagers who survived South Korea’s worst maritime disaster in 44 years told how classmates helped them float free as water flooded their cabins despite crew instructions to stay put even as their ferry sank, killing more than 300.

The teenagers, whose names were withheld to protect their privacy, were giving testimony at the trial of 15 crew members, who face charges ranging from homicide to negligence for abandoning the sinking ship.

“We were waiting and, when the water started coming in, the class rep told everyone to put on the life vests ... the door was above our heads, so she said we’ll float and go through the door and that’s how we came out,” one of the teenagers said.