Tuesday, April 22
Confirmed death toll passes 100, while almost twice that number remain unaccounted for nearly a week into the rescue and recovery effort.
The death toll continues to rise as the tragedy becomes one of South Korea's worst peacetime disasters.
Monday, April 21
Sixty-four bodies have now been recovered, with 240 people unaccounted for.
Sunday, April 20
Shortly after midnight – Thirteen more bodies are removed, as the operation transitions from recovery to identification. The confirm death toll stands at 49, with 253 still missing.
Five giant floating cranes are on scene, but officials fear that raising the ship may have fatal consequences for anyone alive in trapped air pockets.
Saturday, April 19
Shortly before midnight – Divers break through the window of a passenger carriage to retrieve the first three bodies from the sunken ship.
Early morning - Captain Lee Joon-Seok is arrested along with the helmsman and the ship's third officer. They are charged on counts ranging from criminal negligence to violation of maritime law.
Friday, April 18
More than 500 divers, 169 vessels and 29 aircraft are now involved in the rescue operation, hampered by persistent rain and choppy seas.
Thursday, April 17
The search continues, with 179 people rescued and 284 missing.
Distraught relatives maintain a vigil on shore, as divers are unable to access the submerged ferry due to poor weather and visibility.
Wednesday, April 16
Shortly before 9am - The ferry makes a sharp right turn while navigating a group of islets off the southern coast.
Experts say the radical turn could have dislodged the ship’s heavy cargo, including more than 150 vehicles, causing the vessel to capsize.
At the time, the ship was steered by the helmsman under the supervision of the female third officer who had never navigated that particular stretch of water before.
9am - The vessel makes its first distress call.
9.11am - Ferry lists to a 43-degree angle, making it difficult for passengers to move.
9.30am - The vessel has listed to a 60-degree angle. Passengers have been ordered not to move. Rescue ships are yet to arrive.
9.40am - 11am - Passengers are ordered to abandon ship, but many are unable to escape as the vessel is tilted at an acute angle.
Within two hours of the initial distess call, the ferry inverts completely and sinks 20 kilometres off the southern island of Byungpoong.
Some 174 passengers are rescued. Many survivors are picked up by small commercial vessels that got to the scene before a flotilla of coastguard and navy ships arrived, backed by more than a dozen helicopters.
Rescue teams, including almost 200 divers, work under floodlights throughout the night to reach the other passengers.
Tuesday, April 15
Around 9.30pm - The 6.825-tonne Sewol Ferry departs Incheon on the north-western coast of South Korea bound for the holiday island of Jeju. On board are 476 people, including 352 high school students.
