Death toll in ferry accident reaches 260 as recovery efforts continue

The recovery of passengers' bodies aboard the sunken Sewol ferry off the coast of South Korea continued Monday. Divers recovered 12 more bodies on Monday, bringing the death toll to 260. 42 people remain missing. Divers have searched 61 of the 64 compartments where investigators expected to find passengers. If the remaining missing are not recovered by May 15, officials said the search would expand to the vessel's public spaces, including arcades, shops, staircases, and bathrooms. The government's emergency task force spokesman, Ko Myeong-seok, said Monday that the search team was also looking into whether an infant was aboard after a witness claimed to have seen a baby bottle in the stern of the ship on April 21. "Of the women who are missing, there are two who could have had young children, judging from their age. However, it has not been confirmed whether they boarded with a baby," the spokesman said. Children under 2 were not required to have a ticket, and may not have been included in the Sewol's passenger manifest. The five-story ferry was carrying 476 people when it capsized on April 16, and 174 passengers were rescued, including the captain and most of the crew.