, this gives you a sense of what we are looking at, a long, pain staking search. >> let's try paula hancocks once more who's out on the water 100 yards from the wreckage. paula, can you hear me? >> hello, bill. yes, i can. let me tell you what i am seeing before i lose you again. spotty signals out here. i'm about 100 meters away from where the ferry has sunk. to be honest, you would not know there was more a ferry under the water were not for the sheer number of vessels above the water. there are two large inflatables that mark the spot where the ferry is but there is no sign from the water top of what is happening underneath. we know there are a number at this moment of divers trying to get in. desperately hoping they will find some survivors. an idea of what is happening here. i have counted at least 100 vessels from the large warships to the small private fishing vessels. everybody has become involved. if there is any chance of finding life beneath these waves, everyone is working around the clock to try to make that happen. one thing i have noticed, bill, in the past hour is a number of

. >> paula hancocks is joining us now from the port city in south korea. and paula, first tell us about these new radio transcripts that have just been released from the moments the ship began to sink. they're shedding light on the situation facing the passengers and also the difficulty that the crew had communicating. >> that's right, randi. we initially knew we had transcripts from 8:55 a.m. on wednesday morning. we now have the transcripts from 9:06 a.m. until 9:38 a.m. that is when the last transmission went out. now, we did understand that at 9:12, in talking to the person within the sea wall ship was told that the passengers should put life jackets on and also saying have the passengers boarded life rafts and rescue vessels. and the person saying, no, they can't at this point, they can't move because the vessel has lifted. so just very shortly after that first distress signal went out. we understand from these transcripts that the tilting was quite significant. that one person in the steering room of the sea wall is saying it was impossible for them t

paula hancock is on a boat close by to the sunken ferry. what have you seen?hat are conditions like, paula? >> reporter: well, anderson, you wouldn't know that a 300 ton vessel just went down in the sea, unless you see the markings. no part of the ship is above the surface. this is a huge search operation, just a rough guess when we got here, i counted about 120 that range from the large ships from the navy. and also the dinghys for the divers. it is not just an official search operation. you have a lot of fishing vessels joining in the search. now you we can see a number of dingys filled with divers. obviously, what is happening on top of the water is not as significant as what is happening underneath. the divers right now are underneath us trying to get inside parts of the submerged ship. that is the crucial point for them at this point to try to find out if there are any survivors. or if not to try to start the grim task of recovering some of the bodies that are below the water. and about maybe 500 yards away from the spot where this submerged ship is are t

paula hancocks is on the scene this morning. paula, bring us up to date. >> reporter: there's a lost questions coming in, most notably why the captain wasn't at the help. we know it was the third officer at the helm. we or also asking about the arrest warrants. we know they have been issued for both the captain and two of the crew members of that ship. relatives are asking why they're spending a third night on the harbor at engine toe wondering where their child is. >> reporter: strong currents and murky water making it impossible. rescue operators with pumping oxygen in in the hopes of providing air to anyone who might be alive inside. for desperate families waiting for answers, it's not enough. they're bleeding with authorities to do more releasing a statement saying we are making this appeal with tears because we are so furious with the way the government is handling this. this man is waiting for word on his 16-year-old nephew. >> even if how hard it is, how difficult it is, how hard it is, i don't care. i want to hear the tru

thank you so much paula hancocks. very tough situation. no survivors have been found since the 174 people were rescued on wednesday. >>> for the second day in a row a deadly air strike hit terror suspects in yemen. a suspected drone strike killed at least a dozen people including a number of al qaeda militants. it happened in southwest yemen next to the site of yesterday's drone strike that killed ten suspected al qaeda members. saturday's strike was targeting three well-known operatives linked to a terror training camp. sunlen is following the story today. do we have any more detail about who was targeted? >> reporter: we still don't know if they were high-value targets. officials say the targets could have been a training camp or militants on the move in vehicles. yemeni government official confirms to muhammad jamjoom they were targeting what this official describes as the core of the strongest al qaeda affiliates. the attack today took place in abyan. not far from saturday's attack. that strike killed at least 15 al qaeda militants and

our paula hancocks joins us from south korea. and paula, i mean, just agonizing to watch these family that is are struggling with making these identifications. but for the families that haven't found their loved ones yet, are they still holding out hope? we know that this is still being called a search and rescue operation even though no survivors are being pulled from the water. >> reporter: well, unfortunately, no survivors pulled out since wednesday, since the day that this ferry sank. we are going into the sixth night here, monday evening, since this ferry sunk. hope is fading fast. but as you say, this is still a search and rescue operation. we spoke to an official a couple of hours ago and he said even though they haven't found air pockets, it is not beyond the realm possibility there could be air pockets within the ship basically because it's not sunk to the bottom of the sea. he said that it's at this point about 30 to 50 feet below the surface of the water but it's been there for sometime and maintaining that flotation le

paula hancocks live from jindo, south korea, thank you.e know that more than 500 divers are helping in this search for the missing. >> cnn's will ripley is on a boat just feet from the wreckage off the coast of south korea's jindo island seeing firsthand a very, very sad scene. will? >> reporter: victor, randi, another day of searching in the area where the sewol ferry went down and sadly another day of grim discoveries. we watched as several bodies were pulled out of the water from korea coast guard ships. what's happening is the dive teams have been going out in groups, in teams and they enter in the ferry using five different entry points and they're searching the inside of the boat, the hallways and the cabins and the area outside of the boat as well. there's also equipment here that will be used for a salvage operation including a large crane that could help pull the boat out of the water, you might see in the distance behind me. that salvage equipment is not being used. is only the divers because the families do not want anything don

paula hancocks, cnn, south korea. >>> we turn to the other transportation disaster we've been covering now, as the bluefin drone on the floor of the ocean. em families are demanding why the beacons never sent out distress signals. brian todd explains why they may not have have been activated. >> reporter: it's one of the most baffling questions in an already confounding mystery. why didn't any emergency beacons send a distress signals? they're called elts and officials say there were four of them on the plane. >> the emergency low indicator transmitter is a small radio transmitter that sends a signal detected by satellites in the event of an airplane crash. >> reporter: signals sent by elt on to satellites are relaid by monitoring stations on ground. it's not related to the pinger from the black boyes boxes containing the voice recorders. they are to ping, circumstances which could have played out with flight 370. experts say there are other possible scenarios with the missing plane where the elts would not have worked. >> if the plane crashes with too much velocity into the surface so

cnn's paula hancock with more. first of all, paula, how much of that ship is above the water now? it is sort of deceiving when we see the old footage where it looks like there is plenty of room for people to be inside. how much of an air pocket, how much of a hull is still looking above the surface? >> reporter: well, bill, we still understand a smaller amount is still above the surface of the water. so it certainly is sinking. but as far as we can tell, and this is from local media networks that are actually running these pictures, because from here, the harbor, this is as close as we can get on land. it is still about 12 miles from where the sunken ship has landed. this is where parents have based themselves. what we can see is it is still a little bit above water, bill? >> and how are the families there around you handling this? i hear some are even taking things in their own hands, frustrated at the rescue effort? >> reporter: it is a heartbreaking scene here. there are mothers and fathers that have been sitting by the waterside all night. they have literally just been sitting

our paula hancocks is joining us live from the port city of jindo in south korea right now. we're six days into the tragedy. how likely is it there possibly could be more survivors? >> reporter: wolf, at this point, this is still a search and rescue operation. we spoke to the spokesperson of the joint task force. he said that at this point they haven't found any air pockets within the ship. but it's not out of the realm of possibility there could be air pockets. he said basically the reason he thinks that is because the ship has not sunk any further. it's about 30 feet below the surface of the water according to this official. he says it's about there for a number of days now. it's maintaining its flotation level. this is why he believes it is possible there could be air pockets inside. of course, it is incredibly difficult for divers to even get close to the ship, let alone get inside those cabins they haven't reached yet. the visibility is very poor. we're hearing it's something between 30 and 40 centimeters. some divers can't even see their hands in front of them, it's su

let's go to cnn's paula hancocks. she's in the port city of jindu, south korea. >> reporter: wolf, let's start with the search and rescue operation. we know this friday divers did manage to get inside the submerged ship. we know they managed to access the second floor but they were unable to go any further because conditions are still not good, bad visibility, strong underwater currents and at this point divers did not find any survivors and they did not find any bodies. we also know that they have managed to pump some oxygen into the ship. now, the thinking behind this is if there are air pockets under the water, then they want to make sure if there are any survivors within those air pockets that the air is replenished. of course it is a desperately hard wait for dozens of relatives here at the harbor. this is the third night that they have been sitting, waiting for any news. now, there have been very emotional scenes, very heartbreaking scenes. one woman screaming, just tell us, are they alive or are they dead? and

our paula hancocks is in south korea. paula, what's the latest on the rescue effort? how are the relatives there holding up? >> reporter: well, john, we do have some latest information for you. this is from the south korean government, the ministry of security public administration. they now have revised the death toll, saying that 18 people have been confirmed dead in this incident. that was nine not so long ago, and they say now 278 people are missing, so they are finding some of those unaccounted for. but unfortunately they are not finding them alive at this point, but relatives are still keeping hope alive. they are praying about their loved ones about 12 miles out to sea are still alive. we heard from the maritime police earlier this thursday that they're working under the assumption there are still survivors. they're hoping there will be air pockets within the ship. and so they say they're working around the clock to try and get to them. but this thursday, unfortunately the weather has just not been cooperating. there has been very low visibility in the water it

paula hancocks, cnn, in south korea. >> such an incredible story of heroism.f the captain and many other crew months. i want to bring back cargo ship captain jim staples, a marine safety consultant. i want to get your reaction to that crew member. 22 years old. and yet she defied orders and went with logic. >> yeah, it's just a shame that she had to lose her life. we were talking about what could have been wrong, what did go wrong. the inactions of the captain. it's a breath of fresh air to see that this young lady, miss young, stood up to the challenge. she knew what to do. she knew her responsibility was to get those people out of that cafeteria and get them to safety. and she gave her own life for doing that. she's a national treasure for the korean people. she's something for them to be very proud of. this is a woman i would have been proud to have under my command. >> captain staples, it's unbelievable when you look at the sheer numbers, three quarters of the crew survived and three quarters of the passengers at this point are likely dead. i just -- i can

our paula hancocks has more. >> reporter: fred, officials have released more transcript of the radionication between the sunken ferry and two radio towers. now, according to these transcripts the initial distress signal went out at 8:55 a.m. on wednesday. and just one minute later, at 8:56 an unidentified crew member of the "sewol" said the ship rolled over a lot right now. cannot move. the communication until 9:38 a.m., 43 minutes after the initial distress signal and that is when communication was lost. but from the transcripts we can see that the crew member said on a number of occasions the ship is listing too much. we cannot move. now, this appears to show just how quickly the ship listed and how quickly it sunk and many questions as to why more passengers had not been put on to the life rafts and the rescue boats that were on this ship. also, the questions are still being asked why the initial order to passengers to stay put on this sinking ship. meanwhile, there were bodies retrieved, more than a dozen retrieved from the ship this sunday. they were brought to shore here and la

let's bring in paula hancocks in jindo, south korea. what do these communications tell us about the final moments? >> reporter: well, candy, these conversations between an unidentified person aboard the sea wall ferry and two radio towers, the destination radio tower and the tower closest to where this ferry sank. and the most interesting part that we can see from it at this point is how quickly this ship appeared to list and then sink. this is based just on the transcripts available to us. but it appears as though the distress signal, the first distress signal went out at 8:55 a.m. on wednesday and by 8:56 a.m., so just one minute later, the person said the ship rolled over a lot right now. cannot move, end quote. so just one minute after the distress signal was put out, very quickly the person said that people could not move throughout the next half hour. he said -- he or she said a number of times, the passengers are unable to move. they were asked whether or not the life rafts had been put out, whether the passengers were on the res

. >> our paula hancocks joins us live from south korea. horrifying story.ing told by passengers they were told to stay put on a sinking ship? >> reporter: jake, this is going to be very much in focus with this investigation. what exactly were the crew thinking when they said, you should stay put, you should not move. there is a possibility that this ship just sank a lot quicker than they had expected. they had underestimated the danger, clearly, that these people were in. we did see that those that did manage to jump into the water were picked out and were taken into waiting boats. a lot of navy boats, a lot of fishing boats, private boats, any vessels around were there to try to save people. but as we know, there are almost 300 people still unaccounted for and the assumption is many of them could still be within the ship. so, we are hearing, for one particular man talking about what he thought when he was told not to move. >> translator: stay put, as it's dangerous. kept announcing it ten times, so kids were forced to stay put. only some of those who moved

. >> we want to bring in cnn's paula hancocks in jindo.u see? >> reporter: christi, we got about 300 feet away from the area where this ferry actually sunk. there were just two large inflatables on the surface of the water marking the spot where it was. that was the only way you would have known there was a 6,800-ton ferry under the water. there were more than 100 vessels ranging from the very large war ships and helicopter ships and also some very small local fishing ships. everybody is trying to get involved in the hope there may be some survivors under the water. now the above the water, there was not too much activity. it did not look like an urgent search and rescue operation. what is happening below the water is more important. we saw a number of dinghys with divers on board. they have tried to get inside today to get to the third floor. later on this afternoon, when we went back to the same area, the weather conditions had deteriorated significantly. we could not see anymore of the divers. the swell had increased, the water currents

paula hancocks joins us now, i heard there was a private family service for her today. what else do we know about her and her actions? >> reporter: well, anderson, survivors say that while she was on the ship she was giving out life jackets to a number of the students that we do know managed to escape. and she was doing this all the time. she didn't have a life jacket on herself, she was making sure others were okay first and also making sure they could get to one side of the ferry which was under water and sinking fast to the other side where they could actually escape. and all the while she was doing this, she was on her walkie talkie, and she was trying to get guidance from those that were higher up in power, but that guidance, as we know did not come. one of the survivors said to me he really wished she had escaped. and that he wished he would hold onto her and help her. they say they felt very guilty that she had not managed to escape but that she had saved dozens of lives. >> and amazing, she was handing out life jackets to others even though she herself did not h

paula hancock now reporting from from from kuala lumpur. >> reporter: praying for lost souls. chinese relatives of the missing airline passengers seek refuge in a buddhist temple. looking for comfort in the words of a monk. this woman says "i really hope my husband and other passengers come home." the monk replies "i hope they'll come back in peace." of the 239 people on board the missing flight, 154 were chinese citizens. chinese are kind-hearted people, this relative says, but we can clearly distinguish between good and evil. we never forgive those who hid the truth and the criminal who delayed the rescue mission. these families traveled from beijing to kuala lumpur sunday to be closer to the investigation and they hope to information. they've accused malaysian officials of withholding information since the plane vanished more than three weeks ago, despite government claims they're being transparent. they chant their demands. "we want evidence, we want truth, we want our family." these families are physically and emotionally exhausted. today's prayer was an attempt to try an

paula hancocks, thank you very much for the latest. we'll continue to cover this story today. >> talked about the apparent arrest warrant for the captain. much more to come on this. >>> first, almost six weeks after malaysian flight 370 disappeared, this is what we know at this hour, the bluefin-21 is back looking for clues on the ocean's floor. this is its fifth dive, the first four turned up nothing. >> so far, this sub has gone it alone but a malaysian official says more unmanned subs could join the search later. this as frustrated relatives of the 239 people on board are turning up the heat on malaysian officials. they've come up with a list, a list of 26 questions that they want answered at a meeting that is scheduled to are next week in beijing. >> we've been talking about the search under the sea. search on the surface has not let up either, almost two dozen ships and planes are eye balling more than 20,000 square miles for any sign of debris. let's check in with aaron mclaughlin. good morning. what's the latest? >> reporter: go

cnn's paula hancocks is joining us now from the scene. she's in south korea. at's the very latest, paula? >> reporter: well, wolf, i'm just on the harbor here in jindo on the southwest tip of south korea. the people you see behind me are the family members of those passengers who are still unaccounted for. now, they have been here all night. they have been sitting by the water's edge staring out to the sea. this is all they can do at this point. willing their children, these high school students, to come back to them. but hope is fading. it's almost 23 hours since the first sign that there was trouble from this ship. all day, rescue helicopters and boats rushed to the scene, as panic-stricken passengers clung to life. some holding on to the capsized ferry. others floating in the water. more than 160 have been rescued. tonight, divers are still searching for almost 300 people still missing. officials say hundreds were onboard the south korean ferry bound for a resort island off the southwest coast of korea. most of them high school students on a field trip. this

. >> let's bring in cnn's paula hancock, who's in south korea there. so, paula, tell us about the latest on the investigation and what both the captain and this third mate are saying. >> well, christi, there are five charges against the captain, including negligence, abandoning boats and causing bodily injury. if he's found guilty of all of those charges, all five of them, co-face anywhere from five years to life imprisonment. remember, he wasn't at the helm at the time of this accident. he said he wasn't even in the steering room. we do know the third mate was in charge of the ship, and she has been charged with three charges, including causing injuries leading to deaths. the captain himself, though, has tried to justify not telling people to abandon ship whilst it was sinking, saying, as you were saying, he was concerned people would be swept away. he said there were no rescue boats, no fishing boats, or other boats nearby, so he didn't feel he could tell them to abandon ship. of course, he, himself, was rescued, and he did get off the ship along with

paula hancocks brings us some never-before-seen images from that day along with that newly found audio, which some of you may find upsetting. >> reporter: this is the first image of the doomed ferry. calm seas belie the horrors unfolding within the ship. this is the view from doula ace, an oil tanker that is first on the scene. captain moon yashik receives a call to help a ship in distress at 9:06 a.m., 11 minutes after the sewal says it is in trouble. he soon has the ship in his sights. "i could tell the ship was sinking just by looking at it," he tells me. "the situation was so bad i assumed the evacuation was well under way." it wasn't. this was the scene inside the ship at around 9:06 a.m., filmed by a student who did not escape. his phone was retrieved with his body and given to his father. joking and unaware of the danger they are in at first, they then ask, why can't they tell us what's going on? they ask us to wear life jackets. does that meant boat is sinking? then an announcement. the third of its kind we hear on this recording. saying, "once again. please do not move from yo

you heard our paula hancocks.ill alive, they would have been this the ocean for about 24 hours. could there be survivors? >> well, in the water it's highly problematic. the ability to survive in those kind of temperatures in hours, not days. if they are in the water, i think we have a considerable problem. there is probably not anybody that is still alive. i think the real issue is there anybody inside the ship, trapped in an air pocket. do. >> you think this possibility that could there could be air pockets? again, these are hundreds of children. that they could be alive in an air pocket? >> well, it's hard to tell. you need to know how the ship flooded as it rolled over. it listed to port. it was there for a while. and the ship slowly flooded from the top down after it had been flood by some catastrophic event from below desk. it's hard to tell which compartments were flooded and which aren't. it's going to be very difficult to determine where an air pocket might be. >> and passengers saying it was foggy outside

paula hancocks is in the area where the hull was poking above the yellow sea but is now submerged. you seeing, paula. >> reporter: there's no sign of the ferry anymore. the only way you know it is here because there are two large inflatables marking the spot and the sheer number of vessels on the water. i counted more than 120, ranging from the big warships to the small, private fishing vessels involved in this as well. a couple of helicopters overhead and four large floatable cranes, which at this point do not appear to be any part of this search and rescue operation. now the crux of what is happening is below the water. we can't see what's happening. very little visibility through this water. it is very murky. we can see the divers on top of the water. there are a number of inflatable dingies and they are the heart of the search and rescue operation to see if there are survivors. one thing worth noting in the last couple of hours we have noticed a significant oil slick on the surface, bill? >> okay, paula. there's hope against hope, by parents there that one of their little high

cnn's paula hancocks is in seoul. >> reporter: carol, there's stepped up activity at the site in northst in 2014. this is basically to the military, they basically told south korea, all they had to make is a political decision to carry out the zest. we understand they have to dig the entrance to this tunnel. and we're told that would not take very long. just last month, north korea said it may carry out a new kind of nuclear test if it was pushed to do so by the united states. now, experts say this new tao kind of nuclear test may be using uranium, or plutonium. and others say this may just maybe a bluff. president barack obama is head to get region he'll be here in seoul on friday. and north korea's ministry has mentioned that trip describing it as quote a reactionary and dangerous one. >> paula hancocks reporting. and some people ex ba condition should be cancelled. >> reporter: buddhist prayers and muse nikt nap palli capital of katmandu as families of the sherpas killed on friday's avalanche on mt. everest mourn the loss of their loved ones. the bodies of 13 local sherpa guys have

. >> cnn's paula hancocks is in jindo, south korea with the latest developments. paula? >> reporter: pamela, we are seeing more boats coming into shore. it is possible they are bringing more bodies into shore. as you know, they have increased significantly the death toll in just the last hour alone. so even though there are bodies coming ashore and no survivors being found at this point, we understand from officials it is still a search and rescue operation. they said they haven't found air pockets yet but there's a possibility there may be because the ship hasn't completely sunk. this morning the investigation into what went wrong is ramping up. four additional crew members arrested overnight as the country's president blasts the ship's captain directly calling his actions, quote, akin to murder. he is now charged with negligence, though he was not at the helm his third officer was. prosecutors still accuse him of failing to slow the ship down, causing the ship to make an excessive turn. newly released calls between an unidentify crew member and boat traffic control she

cnn's paula hancock is live in jin jindo, south korea. >> reporter: that's certainly going to be the crux of the investigation. maritime police saying they're investigating why only one of those 46 life boats was actually deployed. was it the fact that they couldn't be deployed, that they simply weren't deployed? another thing they're looking into, was there, in fact, as eyewitnesss and survivors say, a pa announcement on the ship saying don't move, it is dangerous to move, don't move. there is an assumption that that could have claimed lives as well because people couldn't get to the deck and jump into the water were there were local fishing vessels ready to pluck people out of the water. beneath these frigid waters, nearly 300 people remain missing. the ship's captain with his head down telling police, i'm sorry, i'm at a loss for words overnight three bot bodies were recovered. the miraculous rescue of a 6-year-old girl was caught on tape. her parents and brother were not fou found. grief stricken family members gather at a harbor in jindo waiting and desperate for any information

paula hancocks is in seoul with more. paula?rter: chris, the ministry of defense telling cnn they are stepping up their activity in this area in the northeast of the country, the exact area where they have already carried out three underground nuclear tests over the years. now we do understand from the spokesman that all that is left is the political decision, suggesting that they are all but practically ready to carry out this nuclear test. now, we do understand that they do have to dig the entrance to the underground tunnel and then seal it up. but at this point they're not telling us exactly what the intelligence is that they have, that they do say they have stepped up this activity. so, the south koreans are on 24-hour watch to see what is going to happen. they have increased their military readiness. and it does come at a time when president obama is heading to asia and he's going to be here on friday in seoul. now, the north korean foreign minister has talked about obama's trip calling it reaction their and dangerous trip.

paula hancocks, cnn, in the yellow sea of south korea. >>> still ahead, does the captain really always ge down with the xwlip from 'the titanic" to the man who could end up facing life in prison for leaving his ferry. a history of what captains do when disaster strikes. >>> plus, up next, the latest in the search for flight 370, and why investigators are saying it may be time to regroup. oh! the name your price tool! you tell them how much you want to pay, and they help you find a policy that fits your budget. i told you to wear something comfortable! this is a polyester blend! whoa! uh...little help? i got you! unh! it's so beautiful! man: should we call security? no, this is just getting good. the name your price tool, still only from progressive. ♪ hooking up the country whelping business run ♪ ♪ build! we're investing big to keep our country in the lead. ♪ load! we keep moving to deliver what you need. and that means growth, lots of cargo going all around the globe. cars and parts, fuel and steel, peas and rice, hey that's nice! ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping

cnn's paula hancocks is in jindo, south korea with the latest. paula?t obtained the transcript between jeju traffic control and the ship itself. we heard the person on the island asked if there were any injured people. the person on the ship said it's impossible to confirm, the body of the ship is tilted. also saying containers in the ship had fallen over. traffic control said please get on the life vests. the person on the ship said it's hard for people to move. this will be looked at very closely as some survivors say they were told not to move. there are fears of lost lives. this morning divers have finally made its way into the ship's hull. the shib now kon completely seb merged, the strong currents and murky water making rescue efforts impossible. rescuers this morning pumping oxygen into the ship in the hopes of pumping air to anyone inside who may be alive. but for desperate families waiting for answers, it's not enough. they're pleading with authorities to do more, releasing a statement saying, we are making this appeal with tears because we are

cnn's paula hancocks is live in jindo, south korea. paula?ery new information into us the past minutes. cnn has spoken to the captain of the search. they are still working on the assumption they may find survivors. he said they haven't found any air pockets within the ship but there's still a possibility there may be air pockets because the ferry has not sunk completely. he said at this point it's about 30 to 50 feet below the surface. and saying it's maintaining its floating level at this point. this will obviously give hope those desperate families wanting to know whether or not their loved ones are alive or dead but this is the sixth night we're going into since that disaster happened. so clearly, hope is fading. as far as the operation is concerned it's still very much a search and rescue operation. the captains as you say, now has five charges against him including negligence. so does the third mate at the helm at the time of the accident. the driver wasn't even at the steering wheel. the driver was in his own personal room. we are heari

. >> paula hancocks reporting to us, what an awful awful story. >>> up next, an underwater drone searching the ocean floor. now crews are analyzing data from the crews of the missing plane. >>> and the enormous risk as divers try to get inside the story to search for sunken victims. we'll explain what they must overcome. >>> did an underwater drone detect anything of significance from flight 370. that's what they're trying to figure out right now. crews are anding data from the bluefin 21 submersible. it completed its first full mission today. search officials may have to regroup and reconsider if the scan of the ocean floor doesn't pan out. he insists the search would continue in some form. an oil strip detected by the ocean shield is not from the flight 370 airliner. the sample tested negative for engine oil and hydraulic fluid. the bluefin-21 drone has covered three square miles during its first trip to the ocean floor, an area roughly the size of miami. the first two deep dives were cut short. now the vehicle has completed an entire mission. our correspondent on the scene, erin mclaugh

cnn's paula hancocks has the latest from seoul. >> reporter: there is stepped up activity at the punggye-ri site in the north. telling cnn that all that north korea has left to make is the political decision. now, we understand from the spokesman that they have yet to dig the entrance to this underground tunnel and then to seal it up, but we understand that that would not take very long. so south korea says it is watching the situation around the clock and it is stepping up its own military preparedness. certainly the timing is interesting. the he's heading to seoul on friday. north korea's foreign ministry mentioned this trip calling it, quote, a reactionary and dangerous one. just last month, north korea did say that it may carry out a different kind of nuclear test. it said it would do that if it felt it was being pushed to do so by the united states. experts are assuming this new kind of test may be uranium test as opposed to plutonium, which the previously underground nuclear tests were. >> president obama left on the asia trip earlier this morning, leaving the white house, besides sou

my colleague paula hancocks is on a ship there and e-mailed saying there are more than 100 vessels readyhelp out and two helicopters and she is smelling a strong odor of oil and seeing an oil slick out there. i want to draw your attention to a press conference behind me. you can see this big crowd. they are down by the harbor. this is where officials are giving the latest information to families. you see the media there. parents are yelling at officials right now. one mother said how are we supposed to live? so you are seeing a lot of emotion. this is what we have been seeing the past three days or so, bill. the parents have a sense that they feel precious time was wasted and too much waffling in the beginning wondering what was happen tong their children. the death toll is at 29. the central government in seoul has sent over dozens of ambulances on standby because the death toll is expected to rise. >> so sad. thank you for the update, as well. we will turn from tragedy at sea to tragedy the on the roof of the world. mt. everest. a place synonymous with limits. the upper limits of earth

cnn's paula hancocks live on an island off the southwestern tip of the peninsula. porter: well, wolf, it is an absolutely heartbreaking scene here. we're on the western tip of south korea and the sunken ship is 20 kilometers away from here and this is where many relatives are gathering. they've been here all night. they are sitting and standing by the side of the water, looking out across the water to see if they can see anything. they can't see anything. but this is all they can do to sit here and wait for news about their loved ones, many waiting for news about children, one woman i spoke to waiting for anything on her 16-year-old daughter. she cannot believe, he said, that she is lost. what we're seeing also is some of the families have been taken out by the coast guard to see the scenery. this is making them more ainge grishg co angry. they're saying this is just a search operation. we've seen dramatic rescue on wednesday. it's now thursday morning, local time. it's not necessarily the case that many survivors will be found now, experts saying two hours is the l

paula hancocks is in jindo, south korea.>> reporter: beneath the frigid waters, nearly 300 people, mostly students and teachers, remain missing. the ship's captain with his head down telling police, i'm sorry. i'm at a loss for words. overnight three bodies were recovered from the sunken ferry bound for a resort island off the southwest coast of south korea. the rescue of a 6-year-old girl was caught on tape. her parents and brother were not found. grief stricken family members gather at a harbor in jindo waiting into the night, desperate for any information. a mother's anguish as she recalls encouraging her daughter to take the trip. >> so i tell her, i think this trip will be very great experience for you, for your school days. so i'm very regret -- i'm very regretting that i did that. >> reporter: dramatic video of the first 24 hours of the frantic rescue shows passengers clinging to guardrails and being airlifted to safety. most of the crews about what could have caused the ship to sink come from eyewitnesses who report

cnn's paula hancocks looks at the search and rescues and mothers and father desperate to find their children reporter: beneath these frigid waters, nearly 300 people mostly teenagers and teachers missing. the captain with his head down telling police, i'm sorry, i'm a at a loss for words. overnight three bodies were recovered for the ferry bound for the southwest coast of korea. the miraculous rescue of a 6-year-old girl was caught on tape, her family was not found. grief stricken, they're waiting into the night desperate for any information. a mother's anguish as she recalls encouraging her daughter to take the trip. >> i think it wou-- i tell her l be a very great experience for her for your school days. i'm very regret. very regret. >> reporter: dramatic video of the first 24 hours of the frantic rescue shows passengers clinging to guard rails and being airlifted to safety. most accounts of what could have caused it to tilt was a loud bang and caused it to tilt. >> sounds like he hit something that caused a gash in the hull and allowed ingress of water. >> reporter: if that's the case, it

474 on board, 378 rescued. 104 are not accounted for at this stage, the latest numbers we have, paula hancockn seoul, thank you, we'll be speaking to you again, soon. back now to our top stories, after the first mission was cut short on monday it is back in the ocean. >> yeah, the bluefin-21 is looking for debris that could be linked to flight 370. and as david mattingly reports, the success could depend on what happened the moment the plane hit the water. >> we've seen what happens when passenger jets crash. >> oh, my god. >> from the tragic and unexpected like last year in san francisco to the planned and controlled like this demonstration by the discovery channel in 2012. and this one from nasa and the faa decades ago. unlike the missing malaysia airlines flight 370, they all crashed on land. but surprisingly they provide clues to what might happen next in the investigation. >> you're telling me that crashing on water is no different than crashing on land? >> depending on your impact velocity, depending on the impact angle, the effects could be the same on water and land. >> aviation inves

cnn's paula hancocks has more now. >> reporter: this is the first image of the doomed ferry.nfolding on the ship. this is the view from an oil tanker first on the scene. a captain receives a call to help a ship in distress at 9:06 a.m., 11 minutes after the ferry says it is in trouble. he soon has the ship in his sights. i could tell the ship was sinking just by looking at it, he tells me. the situation was so bad i assumed the evacuation was well under way. it wasn't. this was the scene in the ship around 9:06 a.m. filmed by a student who did not escape. his phone was retrieved with his body and given to his father. joking and unaware of the danger they are in at first, they then ask why don't at the tell us what's going on? the fact they asked us to wear life jackets, doesn't that mean the boat is sinking? then an announcement. the third of its kind you hear on this recording saying, once again, please do not move from your current location. absolutely do not move. so they don't. the captain and his men are on deck ready to deploy the life rafts to save anyone in the world.

he's in custody and police want to know exactly how he got off the ship. >> paula hancocks.escueation and what could be done to get into the high schoolers and teachers and passengers onboard this ferry. joining me now, helicopter rescue swimmer, retired u.s. coast guard. sir, welcome and nice to have you on. >> thank you. >> let's just begin with the fact that we know there have been six attempts to get onboard this near sunk ferry, all six have been unsuccessful. based upon everything you are reading and seeing of the accident, how would you get in? >> well, that's the question. there has been 500 trained and well-equipped drivers trying to get in and they can't manage to do it. so -- certainly the sea state and current there, even though they are equipped for cold, cold water does not help them much. finding a way and it is a safe way in. very unstable platform. they have a lot of risks to manages themselves and they are not sure if anyone is in there alive. that's going to be a tough operation to manage. >> how do you men a safe way in? can you be specific? >> well, they

paula hancocks takes a look at the new arrests, the outrage and the transcripts revealing how precious time could have saved lives and it was wasted. >> this morning, the investigation into what went wrong is wrapping up. four additional crew members arrested overnight as the crew president blasts the ship's captain directly. he is now charged with negligence. though he was not at the helm, his third er is was. prosecutors accuse him of failing to slow the ship down. newly released calls between an unidentified crew member and boat traffic control shed new light on exactly what happened. our ship is in danger, he says, the ship is rolling right now. by that time, the ship had tilted for the majority of passengers to move or to deploy lifeboats. five minutes later, boat traffic control urged the unidentified crew member to prepare for evacuation, saying please put on the life vests and get ready. then after 30 minutes, boat traffic encouraged the captain to take charge and make the final decision to escape. the school member questioned the retreat, asking if passengers would immediately

paula hancocks, appreciate it. students were texting loved ones as the ship was sinking.wrote to his mother, mom in case i don't get to say this, i love you. the mother didn't know the ship was in trouble and said why? of course i love you too, my son. we have no way of knowing what happened to any of these students who actually texted. we want to bring a cargo ship captain and maritime safety consultant. what do you think could have caused this to happen? is human error the most likely explanation or is it too soon to tell? >> yeah, i believe it is human error listening to the reporters and what i have been reading today. it sounds initially the ferry left two hours later than usual, due to heavy fog. there's a possibility the captain may have been trying to make up time to stay on schedule and he may have taken a shorter route. again, getting off of his prescribed route. it sounds like he hit a submerged object which caused a gash in the hull which would allow a lot of water with. >> when you hear some passengers, or passengers were told toll stay where they were. to no

. >> incredible, your other colleague, paula hancocks said she got this job just a few months ago, hadop out of college when there was a tragedy in her family. but she saved so many families. madison park, appreciate your reporting. >>> when we come back, senator elizabeth warren, loved by liberals, loathed by wall street fat cats. despite being one of the most popular women in government, she says she is not running for higher offers. i'll ask her why when we come back. up. a short word that's a tall order. up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. we're raising the bar on flying and tomorrow we will up it yet again. mattel started in a garage. disney started in a garage. amazon started in a garage. ♪ the ramones started in a garage. my point? some of the most innovative things in the world come out of american garages. introducing the lighter, faster cadillac cts. 2014 moto

. >> incredible, your other colleague, paula hancocks said she got this job just a few months ago, hadop out of college when there was a tragedy in her family. but she saved so many families. it is one glimmer of hair yoism in this tragedy. madison park, appreciate your reporting. >>> when we come back, senator elizabeth warren, loved by liberals, loathed by wall street fat cats. despite being one of the most popular women in government, she says she is not running for president in a couple years. i'll ask her why when we come back. [ thunder crashes ] [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. making sure you pay the right price for a new car just got a whole lot easier. introducing the kelley blue book price advisor. the powerful tool that shows you what should pay. it gives you a fair purchase price that's based on what others recently for the same car and k

paula hancock, as we mentioned students were texting.ote to his mother, mom in case you don't get to say this i love you. his mother apparently didn't know this ship was in trouble, and responded why, of course i love you too, my son. one responded, if i did anything wrong, please forgive me, i love you all. we have no way of knowing what happened to the students who actually texted. i want to bring in a maritime captain. captain, what do you think what could have caused this to happen? is human error likely or is it simply too soon to tell? >> yeah, i believe it is human error listening to the reporters. it sounds that initially the ferry left about two hours later than usual due to the heavy fog. so there is a possibility that the captain may have been trying to make up time to make up his schedule and may have taken a shorter route than prescribed. it sounds like he hit a submerged object that caused a large gap, bringing in a large amount of water. >> when you heard about the passengers told to stay where they were, not to get up and

cnn's paula hancock is at our bureau in seoul. what more can you tell us? >> there's discreptcy in numbers at this point. as you can imagine as this is early hours of this disaster. it happened two hours ago, we understand. this ship that was heading from the capital to jeju. it was 9:00 in the morning that there was a distress signal. there were 350 people on board. there's discrepancy in the numbers. 86 they say have been rescued at this point. we heard a live press conference that said everybody on board was with ordered to jump off the ship and jump in to the waters. you can see the pictures there. that's serious listing from the ship. that was quick. the sinking just happened over a couple of hours. it's not certain at this point what had happened. we were hearing reports from some of those on board the ship. they were saying they all had life jackets on. they were ordered to jump in to the sea. we know the rescue operations underway. helicopters are in the area. they have other ships in the area as well trying to pick up the people in the water. they