The body was retrieved Wednesday near the stern on the fourth floor of the sunken ferry, officials said.
The first SOS was sent by a student on board, not by a crew member, sources said.
The 18-year-old called 119 at 8:52 a.m. on April 16 and asked for help, saying: “We’re heading to Jeju Island. Our ship is now sinking. Please help us.”
The student, using his own mobile phone, made the distress call three minutes earlier than the Sewol sent an SOS signal to the Jeju Vessel Traffic Service (VTS).
A DNA test has yet to be conducted to check the exact identity of the dead person, the officials said.
Of 447 passengers and 29 crew members on board, 325 were students from the Danwon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul. The students, accompanied by 14 teachers, were on a field trip to Jeju.
The confirmed death toll rose to 171 as of 2 p.m. Thursday, with 131 others still unaccounted for. Only 174 people were rescued from the ferry accident, one of the country's worst maritime disasters.
Divers retrieved two more bodies from the ill-fated ship at around 12:45 p.m. Thursday, a joint search and rescue team said.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com