Dock is tent city for anguished families

• Families of the missing wait for clues of their loved ones


• Frustration builds as progress is slow


• "There is no hell like this," said one parent


• Some relatives want authorities to use cranes to lift the sunken ferry

Jindo, South Korea (CNN) -- When a ship comes into sight, they come -- seemingly out of nowhere, inching closer to the dock. Bleary-eyed, the faces of the families of the missing have become swollen from crying.

They watch the South Korean Coast Guard pull in from the Yellow Sea to a dock flanked by emergency workers and police officers.

This is where the bodies from sunken ferry Sewol land.

They're watching to see if their loved ones have been retrieved from the sea. So far, at least 36 people are dead.

Kin give out DNA samples

Divers see bodies in sunken ferry

Oil slick spotted near sunken ferry

'I guarantee it somebody is still alive'

Family members of missing passengers hug as they await news of their missing relatives at Jindo Gymnasium in the southwestern province of South Jeolla, South Korea, on Saturday, April 19. The ferry sank Wednesday, April 16, leaving at least 32 people dead and more than 270 missing. It was headed to the resort island of Jeju from the port of Incheon.

Relatives on shore wait for their missing loved ones in Jindo on April 19.

South Korean Navy Ship Salvage Unit members prepare to salvage the sunken ferry and search for missing people on April 19.

Oil from the sunken ferry appears near the wreckage site on April 19.

Lee Joon Suk, the captain of the sunken ferry Sewol, is escorted to the court that issued his arrest warrant Friday, April 18, in Mokpo, South Korea. It is not yet known what caused Wednesday's deadly accident.

Offshore cranes wait near buoys that mark the location of the sunken ferry near Jindo, South Korea, on April 18.

A U.S. helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard during search-and-rescue operations on April 18.

A woman cries as she waits for news on missing passengers April 18 in Jindo.

Relatives of missing people aboard the Sewol look out over the waters of the Yellow Sea on April 18.

A searchlight illuminates the capsized ferry on Thursday, April 17.

The ship's captain, Lee Joon Suk, arrives at the Mokpo Police Station in Mokpo on April 17. His head and face covered, he broke down in tears when reporters asked whether 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 the ferry were high school students on their way to the resort island of Jeju.

Rescue personnel dive April 17 during search operations.

Family members of passengers 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.

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Photos: South Korean ship sinks

Several family members of the nearly 270 missing have been watching for clues about their loved ones. Some have resorted to sleeping in their cars, stepping out only when they see the ships arrive. As a fourth day of search brought several more bodies to shore, the parents of the missing found little solace.

"There is no hell like this," said one parent, who did not give his name.

The texts were fake

Located just 12 miles from the accident site, Paeng Mok Harbor has become a refugee camp for the brokenhearted.

It is essentially one street with a few docks and a scattered number of faded buildings -- one sign that reads "Beach City." There is no sun-kissed beach here, just slabs of concrete juxtaposed to the water.

Tents have popped up on the sole street -- rows of them have become clinics, pharmacies, cafeterias and drop-in counseling centers for families.

At one of the largest tents at the harbor, family members meet everyday with officials. For days now, they've hurled pointed questions at South Korean officials, accusing them of not acting swiftly enough to find their children.

A similar scene unfolded about 19 miles away from the harbor, where Coast Guard officials also provided a briefing at a large gymnasium, which serves as a temporary shelter for families.

"You have no answers!" a man stood up from the audience. "You all are not taking any responsibility."

The families of the missing had little patience for the officials who told them that numerous divers, ships and aircraft were involved in the search effort. A few yelled that they had heard all this before and that they were tired of the same explanations about poor conditions hampering the search.

"Nothing is changing," another parent yelled. "What effort are you making? At this pace, it is going to take one, two or three years."

"We are trying our best. We are sorry," one of the divers said.

One father stood up in the crowd. He suggested that it was time to make a decision: To continue to use divers or to use the seaborne cranes that have arrived at the site.

If they start using cranes, it means the movement could displace the water and possible air pockets -- if any exist. Officials say they must confer with the parents before deciding to use the cranes.

Kim Joong Chil, whose son is missing, says he believes it's time to lift the submerged ferry.

"He's inside the sea, if he died," Kim said of his eldest son. "Either way, the students are in the water and we have to find them."

His son, Kim Yoon Soo, 18, is missing -- one of the high school students heading on a field trip. Kim and his wife gave DNA samples, an effort undertaken by the Maritime Police in anticipation of recovering and identifying the bodies.

Since Wednesday, Kim has stayed at the gym where families sleep on the open floor, on top of blankets in the stuffy gym. They are given towels, toothbrushes and hot meals. Some families sit in circles on the floor eating out of bento boxes handed to them by volunteers. A live feed shows the rescue efforts on the Yellow Sea on a big screen in front of the gym, but not many appear to be watching.

Kim barely glances at the screen. Dangling from his neck is a name tag with two numbers: his son's grade level (2) and his classroom (3). Here at the Jindo gymnasium, family members wear their children's name instead of their own.

Read: Woman, 71, survives because stranger wouldn't give up on her

Read: Anguish over South Korean ferry sinking amplified by misinformation

Read: How likely is it there are still survivors?