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- The death toll is now 50, the South Korean coast guard says
- 252 people are still missing; 174 have been rescued
- Capt. Lee Joon Seok defends his order to delay the evacuation of his sinking ferry
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Jindo, South Korea (CNN) -- Body after body from a capsized South Korean ferry came ashore Sunday morning, a solemn process pierced by the deafening screams and cries from the passengers' families.
The wrenching scene came after four police boats arrived in rapid succession. The first carried four bodies. The second boat had three more. The third and fourth also carried three bodies each.
Each body was taken onto a stretcher on the dock in Jindo, draped in cloth. After an inspection, they were carried along a path guarded by police -- who were also shedding tears -- and past grieving family members.
Some relatives refused to accept the outcome.
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Relatives of missing passengers aboard the sunken ferry struggle with policemen as they try to march toward the presidential house to protest the government's rescue operation at a port in Jindo, South Korea, on Sunday, April 20. The ferry sank Wednesday, April 16, as It was headed to the resort island of Jeju from the port of Incheon.
Police officers stand guard Saturday, April 19, at the port in Jindo, South Korea, to prevent relatives of the ferry's missing passengers from jumping in the water. Some relatives have said they will swim to the shipwreck site and find their missing family members by themselves.
Family members of missing passengers hug as they await news of their missing relatives at Jindo Gymnasium in the southwestern province of South Jeolla, South Korea, on April 19.
Relatives of missing passengers wait on the shore in Jindo on April 19.
South Korean Navy Ship Salvage Unit members prepare to salvage the sunken ferry and search for missing people on April 19.
Oil from the sunken ferry appears near the wreckage site on April 19.
Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the sunken ferry Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea. It is not yet known what caused Wednesday's deadly accident.
Offshore cranes wait near buoys that mark the location of the sunken ferry near Jindo, South Korea, on April 18.
A U.S. helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard during search-and-rescue operations on April 18.
A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.
Relatives of missing people aboard the Sewol look out over the waters of the Yellow Sea on April 18.
A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.
The ship's captain, Lee Joon Suk, arrives at the Mokpo Police Station in Mokpo on April 17. His head and face covered, he broke down in tears when reporters asked whether he had anything to say.
A woman cries during a candlelight vigil at Danwon High School in Ansan, South Korea, on April 17. Most of the people on board the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.
Rescue personnel dive April 17 during search operations.
Family members of passengers aboard the sunken ferry gather at a gymnasium in Jindo on April 17.
The body of a victim is moved at a hospital in Mokpo on April 17.
Relatives of a passenger cry at a port in Jindo on April 17 as they wait for news on the rescue operation.
South Korean coast guard members and rescue teams search for passengers at the site of the sunken ferry on April 17.
A relative of a passenger cries as she waits for news on Wednesday, April 16.
South Korean coast guard members search for survivors from the Sewol as it sinks on April 16.
Rescue teams and fishing boats try to rescue passengers on April 16.
The body of a ferry passenger is moved into a hospital in Jindo on April 16.
Relatives check a list of survivors April 16 in Jindo.
Relatives of missing ferry passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo.
Rescue crews attempt to save passengers from the ferry on April 16.
A South Korean coast guard helicopter lifts passengers off the vessel on April 16.
Police and rescue teams carry a passenger at the port in Jindo on April 16.
A relative waits for a missing loved one at the port in Jindo.
Parents at Danwon High School search for names of their children among the list of survivors. Ansan is a suburb of Seoul, the South Korean capital.
Helicopters hover over the ferry as rescue operations continue April 16.
A man in Seoul watches a news broadcast about the sinking vessel.
Officials escort rescued passengers April 16 in Jindo.
A passenger is helped onto a rescue boat on April 16.
A passenger is rescued from the sinking ship on April 16.
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Photos: South Korean ship sinks
"Wake up! Wake up, please!" one man screamed.
With 252 people still missing after the ferry sank Wednesday, the heartbreaking scene will likely play out over and over again.
At least 50 people have died since the boat overturned four days ago, the South Korean coast guard said Sunday.
Although 174 people were rescued shortly after the vessel sank Wednesday, no survivors have been found since.
Nonetheless, 563 divers will continue plunging into the frigid Yellow Sea on Sunday. And 34 aircraft and 204 ships will aid in the search Sunday, the country's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said.
As they wait, relatives of the missing were asked to submit DNA samples.
Ship's captain defends evacuation
The captain of the ship defended his order to delay the evacuation of the ferry.
"It is a fairly fast current area, and the water temperature was cold," said Capt. Lee Joon Seok said, according to CNN affiliate YTN.
"I thought that abandoning the ship without discretion would make you drift off a fairly far distance and cause a lot of trouble. At the same time, the rescue ship did not come, and there weer no fishing boats or supporting ships around to help at that time."
The captain has been charged with abandoning his boat, negligence, causing bodily injury, not seeking rescue from other ships and violating "seamen's law," state media reported.
Prosecutor Lee Bong-chang gave more details about the accusations against the captain.
"Mr. Lee is charged with causing the Sewol ship to sink by failing to slow down while sailing the narrow route and making (a) turn excessively," the prosecutor told the semiofficial Yonhap news agency.
"Lee is also charged with failing to do the right thing to guide the passengers to escape and thereby leading to their death or injury."
If convicted, the captain faces from five years to life in prison.
The captain wasn't at the helm of the Sewol when it started to sink, the prosecutor said. A third mate was at the helm.
Sp where was the captain?
The captain was not in the steering room when the accident took place, according to police and his own account.
He said he plotted the ship's course, and then went to his cabin briefly "to tend to something." It was then, the captain said, that the accident happened.
A crew member, described as the third mate and identified only as Park, appeared in handcuffs with Lee.
The third mate, who was at the helm of the ship when Lee left, said she did not make a sharp turn, but "the steering turned much more than usual."
Park is facing charges including negligence and causing injuries leading to deaths, said Yang Joong Jin, a maritime police spokesman.
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A technician with the surname Cho is also facing the same charges, he said.
The captain was one those rescued soon after the Sewol began to sink, violating an "internationally recognized rule that a captain must stay on the vessel," maritime law attorney Jack Hickey said.
"Pretty much every law, rule, regulation and standard throughout the world says that yes, the captain must stay with the ship until all personnel are safely off of the ship, certainly passengers."
CNN's Kyung Lah and Judy Kwon reported from Jindo, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Holly Yan, Chelsea J. Carter, Stella Kim and Jung-eun Kim contributed to this report.
