Video shows teens on sinking ferry

SEOUL, South Korea - Soon after the ferry began to tilt, there was nervous laughter, jokes about the Titanic, and talk of selfies and Facebook posts from the doomed high school students huddled below deck.

But the lighthearted atmosphere soon turned serious as the listing worsened and fear began building.

The shaky video - at times poignant and heartbreaking - was found on the cellphone belonging to Park Su-hyeon, 17, when his body was recovered after the April 16 disaster off South Korea.

The boy's father, Park Jong-dae, provided it Thursday to the Associated Press, saying he wanted to show the world the conditions aboard the Sewol as it sank. He earlier released it to select South Korean media. Information such as video can be recovered from micro SD cards in cellphones even if the device is submerged.

More than 300 people are dead or missing in the disaster, which has plunged South Korea into mourning and touched off anger and shame. About 220 bodies, mostly from inside the submerged vessel, have been recovered. More than 80 percent of the victims were high school students.

The teens in the video alternated between bluster, attempts at humor, and unmistakable fear.

Some of the students struggled as they tried to buckle the life jackets. As the listing worsened, they joked about "final commemorative pictures" and "defying gravity" by trying to walk on the walls.

"It's like we're becoming the Titanic," one teen said.

At 8:53 a.m., less than two minutes into the video and two minutes before a crew member on the bridge made the ferry's first distress call, one student said: "Am I really going to die?"

At the start the video, a message blared from the ferry's loudspeakers: "Don't move away from your places and brace for any possible accidents."

In subsequent announcements, passengers were again told to stay put, even as some questioned whether they should flee.

The last message from the bridge came at 9:08: "We're again announcing: For passengers who can wear life vests, please wear them now. Never move away from your places."

That warning came eight minutes after a Sewol crew member told a marine traffic official, "The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move," according to a transcript of communications with the ferry.

As the video continued, students asked whether the ship will sink and where their teachers are.

After the students talked about being on the news and posting about the excitement later on Facebook, the fear in the cabin grew. Some said that they felt dizzy, that their legs were shaking. One student was seen walking with his hands braced against the wall for balance as the vessel listed.

"I'm really scared," a student said.

"Is it really sinking?" another asked. "Wow, they're giving us life vests."

"We're all finished. I have to leave some farewell words before I die," one student said.

"Mom, I love you," said another.