JINDO, South Korea: Investigators sought arrest warrants Friday for the captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized two days ago, as divers overcame strong currents and near zero visibility to enter the submerged vessel for the first time.

The confirmed death toll from the disaster stood at 28, but the focus of concern remained the 268 still missing as relatives clung to increasingly slim hopes that some may have survived in air pockets.

The unfolding tragedy was compounded by the apparent suicide of a high school vice principal who had been rescued from the 6,825-ton Sewol that sank Wednesday morning with hundreds of his students trapped inside.

The coastguard said a joint investigation team of police and prosecutors had applied for arrest warrants for the ferry’s captain, Lee Joon-Seok, 52, and two of his crew.

The charges were not specified.

Earlier, prosecutors said Lee had handed the helm to his third officer before the ferry capsized.

The breakthrough by dive teams in finally accessing the ship came more than 48 hours after the 6,825-ton Sewol went down — a delay that has incensed the relatives of those still unaccounted for.

After several attempts, two divers managed to pry open a door and enter the cargo section on Friday afternoon, a senior coastguard official said.

Hours later another two-man team accessed one of the cabins, but found nothing.