Manslaughter charge over S Korea ferry

The captain and three other crew members of the ferry that sank off South Korea last month were indicted Thursday on charges of manslaughter through gross negligence, a prosecutor said.
Under South Korean criminal law, Captain Lee Joon-Seok, two navigators and a chief engineer could be handed the death sentence if convicted, although that penalty is very unlikely to be carried out.
"The four were indicted on charges of manslaughter through gross negligence", senior prosecutor Yang Jong-Jin, who is also spokesman for the prosecution, said.
Even after being instructed by maritime safety authorities to help passengers evacuate the Sewol ferry, they failed to take any action and almost an hour later got on the first rescue boat, Yang said.
The four are accused of leaving the ship as it was sinking while telling passengers, mostly high school students on a school excursion, to stay where they were, according to AFP.