The trial of 15 crew members from a South Korean ferry which sank killing hundreds of passengers has begun.

The crew are charged with negligence and abandoning ship while the captain and three officers are also charged with homicide.

All deny causing the incident.

The ship - The Sewol - sank on April 16th this year with 476 people on board. 293 bodies have been recovered while 11 people are still missing.

The captain, Captain Lee Joon-Seok, and three of his crew have already been charged with manslaughter after fleeing the ferry.

They are accused of leaving the ship, despite telling passengers to stay where they were. Most of those on board were students from the same high school, who were on a compulsory field trip.

The captain, two navigators and a chief engineer have been charged with the same offence - manslaughter through gross negligence and if convicted all four could face the death penalty.