- The official death toll now stands at 28 people; about 271 remain missing
- Divers enter the hull of the ship Friday
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Jindo, South Korea (CNN) -- As divers raced to reach hundreds of people believed to be inside, the death toll from the ferry boat sinking in South Korea rose to 28 Friday.
Divers managed to breach the hull of a sunken ferry, hoping to make significant progress in finding the roughly 270 people still missing two days after the boat sank.
But the challenges are enormous. Fierce winds and rough waters are impeding the divers -- and time is running out.
A searchlight illuminates the Sewol, a capsized South Korean ferry, in the waters of the Yellow Sea near Jindo, South Korea, on Thursday, April 17. It is not yet known what caused the ship to sink. 
Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the Sewol, arrives at the Mokpo Police Station in Mokpo, South Korea, on April 17. His head and face covered, he broke down in tears when reporters asked if 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 were high school students on their way to a resort island called Jeju. 
Rescue personnel dive April 17 during search operations for passengers. 
Family members of passengers who were 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. Photos: South Korean ship sinks While the cause of the accident still isn't known, a Korean prosecutor said the captain wasn't in the steering room when the ship started to sink; a third mate was at the helm.
"It is not clear where (the captain) was when the accident occurred, although it is clear that he was not in the steering room before the actual accident happened," state prosecutor Jae-Eok Park said Friday.
Lee was one of at least 179 people rescued soon after Wednesday's sinking. A bigger number -- 271 as of Friday morning -- are still considered missing, the South Korean coast guard said.
Relatives of passengers expressed increasing disgust, frustration and anger over everything from the ferry crew's response to the search-and-rescue effort.
Scores of family members waited at a gymnasium in Jindo, desperate to hear any news of their loved ones.
Some howled and screamed; others collapsed. At least two women were taken out on stretcher.
"Hurry up, find it faster," one woman screamed.
CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report.
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