1 of 21. South Korean ferry ''Sewol'' (L) is seen sinking at the sea off Jindo, as lighting flares are released for a night search, April 16, 2014. 
 
 JINDO, South Korea (Reuters) - Several people appear to have survived in an air pocket of a capsized South Korean ferry, the father of one of the school children aboard the boat told a Reuters reporter accompanying families out to the scene of the disaster on Thursday. 
 
 About 290 people are still missing out of 450 passengers on the Sewol ferry, which capsized in still-mysterious circumstances off the Korean peninsula on Wednesday in what could be the country's worst maritime accident in 20 years. 
 
 Many of the passengers were school children from one high school on the outskirts of Seoul. 
 
 "(The child) told me in the text message, 'I am alive, there are students alive, please save us quickly," the father said. 
 
 Coastguard and navy divers resumed searching on Thursday after the ferry capsized in sight of land on a trip from the port city of Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju, about 100 km (60 miles) south of the peninsula. 
 
 Grieving family members gathered early on Thursday on the quay of the coastal city of Jindo, huddled in blankets against the spring cold as efforts to find the missing went into a second day. 
 
 One parent, Park Yung-suk, told Reuters she had seen the body of her teenage daughter's teacher brought ashore earlier in the morning. 
 
 "If I could teach myself to dive, I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter," Park said as light rain fell. 
 
 So far 179 people have been rescued and six confirmed dead. 
 
 As coastguard officials arrived at Jindo on Thursday, waiting relatives jeered at them, shouting: "The weather's nice, why aren't you starting the rescue." 
 
 It is not known why the 6,586 metric ton vessel, built in Japan 20 years ago, sank. 
 
 Nautical charts of the wider area show reefs and shallow waters, although one government official appeared to discount the possibility the ship had hit a rock. 
 
 It was not immediately clear why the Sewol ferry had listed heavily onto its side in apparently calm waters off South Korea's southwest coast, but some survivors spoke of a loud noise prior to the disaster. 
 
 There were reports of the ferry having veered off course, but coordinates of the site of the accident provided by port authorities indicated it was not far off the regular shipping lane. 
 
 The ferry sent a distress signal early on Wednesday, the coastguard said, triggering a rescue operation that involved almost 100 coastguard and navy vessels and fishing boats, as well as 18 helicopters. 
 
 According to public shipping databases, the registered owner of the ship is Chonghaejin Marine Co Ltd, based in Incheon. Reuters was unable to reach the company by phone. 
 
 Earlier, in a statement read out to local media, a company official offered an apology over the accident but declined to comment further. 
 
 The databases showed that Chonghaejin Marine Co Ltd became the owner of the vessel in October, 2012. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-Min Park, Choonsik Yoo, Meeyoung Cho and James Pearson in SEOUL and Jonathan Saul in LONDON; Writing by David Chance; Editing by Dean Yates) ||||| MOKPO, South Korea (AP) — Koo Bon-hee could see the exit. For half an hour, as the doomed ferry filled with water and listed severely on its side, the crew told passengers to wait for rescuers. 
 
 Parents attend a candle light vigil to hope for their children's safe return at Danwon high school in Ansan, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. A South Korean passenger ship carrying more than 470... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by the South Korean Coast Guard via Yonhap News Agency, South Korean coast guard officers rescue passengers from a sinking ferry off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image taken from video from Mokpo Coast Guard, passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, are rescued by South Korean Coast guard in the water off the southern coast near... (Associated Press) 
 
 People watch a TV news program showing a sinking passenger ship, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. The South Korean passenger ship carrying more than 470 people,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Rescued passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, are escorted by rescue teams on their arrival at a port in Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. More... (Associated Press) 
 
 South Korea rescue helicopter and fishing boats try to rescue passengers from a passenger ship in water off the southern coast in South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. The South Korean passenger ship... (Associated Press) 
 
 A mother weeps as she and others search for their children's names among a list of survivors rescued from a ferry that sank off the country's southern coast, at Danwon high school in Ansan, South Korea,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by South Korea Coast Guard via Yonhap News Agency, South Korean rescue team boats and fishing boats try to rescue passengers of a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Relatives wait for their missing loved ones at a port in Jindo, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. A ferry carrying 459 people, mostly high school students on an overnight trip to a tourist island,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by Jeollanamdo via Yonhap News Agency, South Korean rescue team boats and fishing boats try to rescue passengers of a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, in the water... (Associated Press) 
 
 A rescued passenger from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, is carried by police and rescue teams on his arrival at Jindo port in Jindo, south of Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 16,... (Associated Press) 
 
 This undated photo shows South Korean passenger ship Sewol. A government office said Wednesday, April 16, 2014 the South Korean passenger ship carrying about 470 people have sent a distress call off the... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this image taken from video released by News Y via Yonhap, passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, are rescued by a South Korean Coast Guard helicopter in the water off the... (Associated Press) 
 
 With their breathing room disappearing, the 36-year-old businessman and some of the other passengers floated to an exit and swam to a nearby fishing boat. But 290 of the 475 people aboard — many of them high school students on a class trip — were still missing after the ferry sank Wednesday off the southern coast of South Korea. Six were confirmed dead and 55 were injured. 
 
 Early Thursday, divers, helicopters and boats continued to search for survivors from the ferry, which slipped beneath the surface until only the blue-tipped, forward edge of the keel was visible. The high number of people unaccounted for — possibly trapped in the ship or floating in the chilly water nearby — raised fears that the death toll could increase drastically. 
 
 It was still unknown why the ferry sank, and the coast guard was interviewing the captain and crew. The Sewol, a 146-meter (480-foot) vessel that can hold more than 900 people, set sail Tuesday from Incheon, in northwestern South Korea, on an overnight, 14-hour journey to the tourist island of Jeju. 
 
 About 9 a.m. Wednesday, when it was three hours from Jeju, the ferry sent a distress call after it began listing to one side, according to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration. 
 
 Passenger Kim Seong-mok told broadcaster YTN that after having breakfast, he felt the ferry tilt and then heard it crash into something. He said an announcement told passengers to not move from their places and that he never heard another about evacuating. 
 
 He said he was certain that many people were trapped inside the ferry as water rushed in and the severe tilt of the vessel kept them from reaching the exits. 
 
 Koo also complained about the crew's efforts during the initial stages of the disaster, saying early misjudgments may account for the large number of missing. 
 
 In addition to the order not to evacuate immediately, Koo said many people were trapped inside by windows that were too hard to break. 
 
 "The rescue wasn't done well. We were wearing life jackets. We had time," Koo, who was on a business trip to Jeju with a co-worker, said from a hospital bed in Mokpo, the nearest major city to the site of the accident, where he was treated for minor injuries. "If people had jumped into the water ... they could have been rescued. But we were told not to go out." 
 
 Oh-Yong-seok, a 58-year-old crew member who escaped with about a dozen others, including the captain, told The Associated Press that rescue efforts were hampered by the ferry's severe tilt. 
 
 "We couldn't even move one step. The slope was too big," Oh said. 
 
 Student Lim Hyung-min told YTN that he and others jumped into the water wearing life jackets and then swam to a nearby rescue boat. 
 
 "As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," Lim said, adding that some people were bleeding. Once he jumped, the ocean "was so cold. ... I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live." 
 
 Dozens of coast guard and navy divers searched for survivors around the Sewol's wreckage a little north of Byeongpung Island, which is not far from the mainland and about 470 kilometers (290 miles) from Seoul. 
 
 Coast guard spokesman Cho Man-yong said 16 divers could not get inside the ferry Wednesday night because the current was too strong. The water was muddy and visibility was poor, he said, but divers would try again Thursday morning. 
 
 "We cannot give up," said South Korean President Park Geun-hye, after a briefing in Seoul. "We have to do our best to rescue even one passenger." 
 
 White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. and its 7th Fleet stood ready to assist, including the USS Bonhomme Richard, which was in the region. 
 
 The last major ferry disaster in South Korea was in 1993, when 292 people were killed. 
 
 TV stations broadcast live pictures Wednesday of the listing Sewol as passengers clambered over the side, jumped into the sea or were hoisted up by helicopters. At least 87 vessels and 18 aircraft swarmed around the stricken ferry. 
 
 The water temperature in the area was about 12 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit), cold enough to cause signs of hypothermia after about 1½ hours of exposure, according to an emergency official who spoke on condition of anonymity because department rules did not allow talking to the media. 
 
 Lee Gyeong-og, a vice minister for the Public Administration and Security Ministry, said the ocean was 37 meters (121 feet) deep in the area. 
 
 The survivors — wet, stunned and many without shoes — were brought to nearby Jindo Island, where medical teams wrapped them in pink blankets and checked for injuries before taking them to a cavernous gymnasium. 
 
 As the search dragged on, families of the missing gathered at a nearby dock, some crying and holding each other. Boats circled the sunken ferry into the night, illuminated by red flares. 
 
 Angry shouts could be heard when Prime Minister Chung Hong-won visited a shelter where relatives of the missing passengers waited for news. Some yelled that the government should have sent more divers to search the wreckage. 
 
 The numbers of passengers, as well as the dead and missing, fluctuated throughout the day. As of early Thursday, South Korean authorities estimated 475 people were on the ferry. 
 
 Of that total, there were 325 students and 15 teachers from Danwon High School in Ansan, a city near Seoul. They were headed to Jeju for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi province. 
 
 Authorities said the dead included a female member of the crew and two male students. A coast guard officer confirmed three other fatalities but had few details about them. Kang Byung-kyu, a government minister, said 55 people were injured. Coast guard officials put the number of survivors early Thursday at 179. 
 
 Many South Korean high schools organize trips for first- or second-year students, and Jeju is a popular destination. The students on the ferry were in their second year, which would make most of them 16 or 17. 
 
 At Danwon High School, students were sent home early and parents gathered for news about their children. Park Ji-hee, a first-year student, said she saw about a dozen parents crying at the school entrance. 
 
 There are faster ways to get to Jeju, but the ferry from Incheon is cheaper than flying. 
 
 The Sewol, which travels twice a week between Incheon and Jeju, was built in Japan in 1994 and could carry a maximum of 921 people, 180 vehicles and 152 shipping containers, according to the Yonhap news agency. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul contributed to this report. ||||| Heartbreaking text message exchanges between students trapped in the sinking ferry off the coast of South Korea and their anxious parents are offering a glimpse into the desperate situation in the crippled vessel. 
 
 "Dad, don't worry. I've got a life vest on and we're huddled together," one 18-year-old student, identified only by her last name, Shin, texted her father, according to MBC News, a Korean news station. 
 
 The father replied: "I know the rescue is underway but make your way out if you can." 
 
 "Dad, I can't walk out," she replied. "The corridor is full of kids, and it's too tilted." 
 
 The student was among the 287 still reported missing. 
 
 WATCH: Korea Ferry Accident: Families Anxiously Wait 
 
 In another exchange, a male student texted his mother, who was unaware at the time that the ferry was in distress. 
 
 "Mom, I might not be able to tell you in person. I love you," the student texted, according to MBC. 
 
 "Me too, son. I love you," the mother texted back, followed with three heart symbols. 
 
 Fortunately, that student was among the 179 people who have been rescued, MBC reported. 
 
 Survivors told harrowing tales of confusion and desperation as people slid along the floor of the sharply listing ship, colliding with one another, or found themselves trapped in cabins by a wall of water. 
 
 Rescued passengers said that immediately after they heard a booming noise, the ship began listing and they heard an announcement over the ship's PA system telling the passengers to stay in place. 
 
 "The baggage was falling out, and we were saying 'What's going on?' But the announcement told us to stay where we were, so we did," one rescued student told MBC. 
 
 READ MORE: Nearly 300 Missing After Ferry Sinks off South Korea's Coast 
 
 "The ship began tilting all of a sudden, and then people started skidding down from above," rescued passenger Young-Ja Shin told SBS News. "There was a railing, so I held onto it, but I then got hit by one of the falling people and we got pushed down to the bottom." 
 
 "It took about 10 seconds to tilt over, and then I began sliding from end to end," rescued passenger Eun-Bok Jang, 50, told SBS News. "I got hit on my side and then I couldn't breathe." 
 
 The vessel tipped over completely on its side, and there was mass confusion inside the ferry as refrigerators and other things fell over, Jang said. 
 
 When the water started rushing in, many passengers put on life vests and escaped outside. But by the time that announcements told passengers to make their way out, the ship had already submerged significantly, so there were few exits that could be used for escape, rescued passengers said. 
 
 Many passengers were gathered in the entertainment center, restaurants and shops on the third floor of the 5-deck ship, but when the ferry capsized, that third floor was fully submerged, authorities told the Yonhap news agency. There was most likely a power outage immediately after the ship capsized, so confused and frantic passengers probably had a hard time finding their way out in the dark and narrow passage ways. 
 
 "When we were making our way out, the wall was almost all water, and it was completely submerged up to the third floor," survivor In-Hwan Kang, 58, told MBC. 
 
 So-Hyun Kim, a teacher accompanying the more than 300 students from Danwon High School in Ansan, said she initially stayed in her cabin because of the announcements, but had to attempt an escape when water came rushing in. 
 
 "I couldn't go anywhere. I didn't have the strength to climb further up," she told SBS News. "There was an open emergency exit, so another teacher and I decided to just fall and swim our way toward it. I fell and hit a railing, and that's when I was rescued." 
 
 Of the 475 passengers on board the ferry, 179 were rescued. Another 287 were listed as missing and 9 died. 
 
 Rescuers were seen boarding the vessel, which had tipped to its side, and combing through the top of the ship for survivors. One man boarded the boat and quickly found what appeared to be a crew member still on it. 
 
 Bodies could be seen scattered through the water in another video shot from a helicopter. A yellow raft was tossed out of the chopper and survivors in the water swam toward it before they were pulled to safety. 
 
 Others were winched in slings to the safety of hovering helicopters. 
 
 As darkness fell, the ferry took on more water and only the rudder of the vessel remained visible before the ship sank about 100 feet below the water. Rescuers stopped searching for those still reported missing at about 7 p.m. due to strong currents and poor visibility, but they resumed their mission around 12:30 a.m. local time, taking advantage of a lull in the strong currents. 
 
 One rescued passenger said he believed that many people had been trapped inside the ferry when it sank. 
 
 The ferry, identified as the Sewol, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call as it began leaning to one side. The passengers include more than 300 students from Danwon High School in Ansan, near Seoul, who were on a school trip. 
 
 Yonhap/AP Photo 
 
 Yonhap/AP Photo
– With angry, grieving relatives looking on from shore, South Korean divers continued to search for any sign of the roughly 290 people still missing from yesterday's ferry sinking, reports Reuters. Of the 475 people on board—most of them teenagers—179 were rescued and six have been confirmed dead. Survivor accounts suggest the rest got trapped in the ferry as water rushed in. ABC News has some wrenching texts, including these: "Dad, don't worry. I've got a life vest on and we're huddled together," wrote an 18-year-old girl. When her father told her to try to make her way to safety, she responded, "Dad, I can't walk out. The corridor is full of kids, and it's too tilted." She remains missing. "Mom, I might not be able to tell you in person. I love you," wrote a male student to his mother, who was unaware of the ferry's trouble. He was among those rescued. Other survivors say people inside obeyed orders issued on the PA system to remain where they were, which might have been a deadly mistake. "The rescue wasn't done well," says an adult male survivor as quoted by AP. "We were wearing life jackets. We had time. If people had jumped into the water ... they could have been rescued. But we were told not to go out." The water is about 54 degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough to start causing problems after 90 minutes. Relatives, meanwhile, are losing patience. "If I could teach myself to dive, I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter," says one. The cause of the accident remains unknown.