South Korean President apologises over ferry tragedy

South Korean President Park Geun-hye is accepting some of the blame over the sunken ferry, as the investigation is extending.

She presented apologies for the government's initial response to the tragedy on Tuesday.

"I am losing sleep as there is no news about saving more lives and because there are many families who don't know whether their loved ones are dead or alive still," the president said in a statement broadcasted on the national television.

"I am at a loss for words for an apology that can be enough to console the pain and suffering even for a little while over insufficiency in efforts made to prevent the accident and also in the initial response to the accident," she added.

"I am sorry, and my heart is heavy that so many precious lives are lost because of the accident."

Earlier on the same day, Park attended a memorial service in the Seoul suburb that was home to hundreds of students on board the Sewol ferry that sank on April 16. She talked to family members and laid flowers at the memorial site.

"We'll fix the problems and change our practices so we'll have safer nation and won't let them die in vain," Park said.

About 200 bodies were retrieved by now, and more than 100 people are still missing.

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won announced his resignation over the disaster on Sunday.