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Search for missing ferry passengers put on hold

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean officials say bad weather and the deterioration of internal partitions in a sunken ferry are hampering the search for those still missing in the disaster.

More than three weeks after the ferry sank, 29 passengers are still missing, with 275 bodies recovered so far, most of them high school students.

Government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok said Saturday that search conditions were deteriorating, with internal partitions in the ferry becoming waterlogged and starting to bend. Coast guard officials say this can prevent divers from entering different parts of the ferry.

The coast guard said divers temporarily halted underwater searches Saturday because of high waves.

Only 172 people survived the April 16 disaster. Most of the passengers were students from a high school south of Seoul.

In this April 17 photo, South Korean rescue team members try to rescue passengers trapped in the ferry Sewol sinking in the water off South Korea's southern coast near Jindo. Internal partitions in the ferry have become waterlogged and started to bend, said government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok. Coast guard officials said this can prevent divers from entering different parts of the ferry. Ko also said divers were unable to carry out underwater searches Saturday because of bad weather. Associated Press
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