The captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized killing more than 300 passengers has been found guilty of negligence and sentenced to 36 years in jail.
The Sewol ferry had 476 people onboard when it capsized in April. Most of those who died were school students.
Captain Lee Joon-seok was acquitted of homicide which prosecutors had wanted the death penalty for.
The ship’s chief engineer was found guilty of homicide for not helping two injured fellow crew members and sentenced to 30 years. The other 13 surviving crew members were all found guilty of various charges.
Video footage of the crew abandoning ship caused outrage across South Korea. During the trial Lee apologised for deserting passengers.
Hours before the verdict, the government called off the search for the last remaining nine bodies which have never been found.
