The government officially terminated the search for those still missing from the sunken ferry Sewol on Tuesday, some seven months after the disaster that claimed more than 300 lives.

The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol sank in waters near the southwestern port of Jindo on April 16 en route to the southern resort island of Jeju. A total of 295 people, mostly teenage students on a field trip, have been confirmed dead with nine remaining unaccounted for.

"As head of the pan-governmental crisis center, I announce the end of the underwater search as of today," Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Lee Ju-young said.

"As the search prolonged for a long term, the chance of discovering missing people has become slim while (rescuers) have voiced safety risks. The government decided that the underwater search has reached its limit."  

Lee announced the decision after a meeting of related government ministers presided over by Prime Minister Chung Hong-won. 

The minister also apologized to the families of those who are still believed trapped inside the ship, saying they have requested a halt to the search.

"I am very regretful and sorry for falling short of my promise not to stop until the last person is found. All the responsibility for failing to find the nine people lies with me, and I again repeat my apology," he said.

Late last month, divers searching the sunken ferry recovered the body of one female student.

Under the decision, rescue divers will end their operations during the day while the shipwreck will be sealed off to prevent a possible loss of the bodies, according to a press release from the Prime Minister's Office.

When the sunken ferry will be lifted from under the sea will be determined later through further discussion.

The government will also phase out the pan-governmental disaster control center that was set up to deal with the aftermath of the ferry accident.

Also Tuesday, the families of the nine missing people accepted the government's decision to pull out divers, calling instead on the government to seek the best ways to salvage the sunken ferry. 

"Experts have told us that the safety of divers is in danger due to rising risks of compartment collapse inside the ship while the continuation of the search into the winter season could result in casualties (among divers)," the families said in a press conference held in Jindo.

"The most important thing for now is the safety of the divers," the families said, urging the government to find ways to retrieve the bodies of the missing people in the future process of salvaging the shipwreck.

The ferry sinking, one of the nation's worst maritime disasters, has sparked nationwide soul-searching, prompting the Assembly to move to look into the cause.

Ending months of wrangling, rival parties last week passed a package of bills last Friday to allow an independent investigation into who is responsible for the tragic accident and the dismantlement of the Coast Guard, which was blamed for its poor initial rescue as well as compensation for the families of the ferry victims. 

The government has also been under fire for its poor initial response to the tragedy, which critics say contributed to the high death toll.

Prosecutors have said the combination of cargo overloading, excessive remodeling of the ship and poor steering are to blame for the disaster. (Yonhap)