South Korea Ferry Disaster Captain 'Arrested'

The captain of the South Korean ship that sank leaving 28 dead and hundreds missing has reportedly been arrested.

South Korean news agency Yonhap said Lee Joon-Seok, 68, was facing five charges including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law.

Two other crew members are also said to have been detained for failing in their duty to help passengers.

It comes as video emerged showing Mr Lee landing with the first group of survivors, leaving behind hundreds of stranded passengers.

The confirmed death toll from the Sewol is 28, but that number is expected to rise with 274 people still missing. Officials said there were 179 survivors.

The ship sank rapidly and hundreds are feared dead

Some 325 passengers were students from Danwon High School near Seoul, making the 13-hour trip to the holiday island of Jeju.

The captain was not at the helm of the ship when it capsized in calm conditions on Wednesday, according to investigators.

Authorities said the third officer is understood to have been piloting the ship and the captain may not have been on the bridge.

Pupils hold a vigil at Danwon High School near Seoul

They are also looking at whether the third officer ordered an abrupt turn, causing the ship to tilt severely and take on water, said prosecutor Park Jae-Eok.

The captain also delayed evacuation for half an hour after the distress signal was sent, suggesting more lives could have been saved had he acted sooner.

Oh Yong-Seok, a helmsman on the ferry, said when the crew sent a distress call, the ship was already listing more than five degrees.

A woman weeps as she waits for news of her loved ones

About half an hour after passengers were told to stay put, Mr Lee finally gave the order to abandon ship, according to Mr Oh.

He said he was unsure - given the confusion on the bridge - whether the order was relayed to the passengers.

Several survivors have said they did not hear any evacuation orders.

By the time the order was given, it was impossible for crew members to get to passengers because the ship was tilted at an impossibly acute angle, he said.

The ferry sank on its way to the island of Jeju

A school vice-principal who was with the children on the ship hanged himself from a tree, police confirmed on Friday.

A suicide note reportedly read: "Surviving alone is too painful while 200 remain unaccounted for. I take full responsibility. I pushed ahead with the school trip.

"I will once again become a teacher in the afterlife for my students whose bodies have not been discovered."

Many of the missing children used their phones to send desperate 'goodbye' messages to their friends and family as the ship sank.

Hope of finding any survivors is slim - divers have managed to enter the cargo deck but failed to get into any passenger areas.

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Vice-Principal Rescued From Ferry Found Hanged

S Korea Ferry: Final Contact From Doomed Vessel

Updated: 11:59am UK, Friday 18 April 2014

A transcript of communications between the stricken Sewol ferry and the coastguard has lifted the lid on the final minutes before the order was given to abandon ship.

The conversations show panic setting in on board the vessel, with officers asking for help to "please come quickly" as it began to tilt to the left, three hours from its destination of Jeju Island.

The transcript also appears to back up claims that the evacuation order may have come too late for some passengers as officers said the ship was tilting so much it was "impossible to move" to check on them.

The communication, which begins with the first distress call made by the ferry on Wednesday morning, has been translated by The Associated Press.

It reads:

8.55am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of The Sewol?

Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Centre (VTS): Yes, Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Please notify the coastguard. Our ship is in danger. It's listing right now.

8.56am

Jeju VTS: Where's your ship? Yes, got it. We will notify the coastguard.

Sewol: This ship has listed a lot. Can't move. Please come quickly. We're next to Byeongpung Island.

Jeju VTS: Yes, we got it.

8.58am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Do you have reception? Sewol, harbour affairs Jeju.

8.59am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, this is Sewol.

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju. Channel 21, please.

9.00am

Jeju VTS: Sewol, this is harbour affairs Jeju.

Sewol: Jeju, Sewol here.

Jeju VTS: What's the current situation?

Sewol: Currently the body of the ship has listed to the left. The containers have listed as well.

Jeju VTS: OK. Any damage of the human life?

Sewol: It's impossible to check right now. The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, OK. Please wear life jackets and prepare as the people might have to abandon ship. 

Sewol: It's hard for people to move.

Jeju VTS: Yes, got it.

9.05am

Sewol: Harbour affairs Jeju, do you have reception of Sewol?

Jeju VTS: Yes, this is harbour affairs Jeju, Sewol.

Sewol: What's going on with the coastguard?

Jeju VTS: Yes, we have notified the coastguard. Currently we are calling Jindo VTS and Wando VTS. Please hold for a moment.

After this, Jeju VTS notified other ships and Wando VTS.

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Captain 'Not At The Helm When Ferry Capsized'

The captain of the South Korean ferry that capsized with 475 passengers on board was not at helm of the ship when it capsized, according to investigators.

The third officer was understood to be piloting the ship when the tragedy occurred, an investigating prosecutor has told a news conference, and the captain may not even have been on the bridge at the time.

"He may have been off the bridge ... and the person at the helm at the time was the third officer," the investigator said.

"The captain was not in command when the accident took place," he added.

It has also been revealed that the captain, Lee Joon-seok, 68, delayed evacuation for half an hour after the distress signal ws sent, leading some to suggest more lives could have been saved had he acted sooner.

Family members of missing passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo

Oh Yong-seok, a helmsman on the ferry with 10 years of shipping experience, said that when the crew gathered on the bridge and sent a distress call, the ship was already listing more than five degrees, the critical angle at which a vessel can be brought back to even keel.

About half and hour after passengers were told to stay where they were, Lee finally gave the order to abandon ship, Oh said, adding that he wasn't sure that in the confusion and chaos on the bridge if the order was relayed to the passengers.

Several survivors have said they did not hear any evacuation orders.

By the time the order was given, it was impossible for crew members to move to passengers' rooms to help them because the ship was tilted at an impossibly acute angle, he said.

Relatives wait for news from the rescue teams in Jindo

It has been suggested the evacuation delay also prevented lifeboats from being deployed in time.

The confirmed death toll from the sinking off the Sewol is 25, but that number is expected to rise sharply with about 270 people still missing. Officials have so far confirmed only 179 survivors.

Some 325 of the passengers were students from Danwon High School near Seoul.

Out of 29 crewmembers, 20 people including Lee, survived. After the tragedy, Lee made a brief, videotaped appearance, although his face was hidden by a gray hoodie.

"I am really sorry and deeply ashamed," he said. "I don't know what to say."

Divers are working in shifts to try get into the upturned ship to pump oxygen into the vessel to help any survivors. But their attempts are being hampered by strong currents and freezing temperatures.

The 146-metre (480ft) ship had left Incheon on the northwestern coast of South Korea on Tuesday for the overnight journey to the southern resort island of Jeju.

It was three hours from its destination on Wednesday morning when it began to list for reasons unknown.

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Ferry Disaster: Desperate Texts During Sinking

Teenagers on the stricken South Korean ferry sent heartbreaking messages to their families as it capsized and sank.

Mobile phone footage and messages from passengers suggest they were advised to stay where they were as they vessel listed severely to one side.

But the advice may have effectively sealed the fates of many of those on board, making escape impossible as the ferry sank into the icy depths.

One 18-year-old student messaged his mother on the KakaoTalk messaging app at 9.27am (1.27am UK time)  - shortly after the ferry sent its first distress call.

He wrote: "Mum, I'm sending this because I might not be able to say it later. I love you."

Seven minutes later his mother - unaware of the trouble the vessel was in - replied: "Why? ... I thought you don't check your KakaoTalk messages.

"Me too son... I love you."

There are reports that the young man involved may be one of the lucky 179 survivors rescued before the ship capsized and went under the water.

The search has been hampered by high winds and choppy sea conditions

Another student sent a series of messages to friends in a theatre club just after 9am.

He wrote: "Hey really seriously.

"Love you all for real.

"Looks like we really are gonna die.

"No really the ship's tilting.

"You guys really.

"If I've wronged any of you. Forgive me."

A female passenger, also 18, messaged her father at around 10am as the ship started to sink.

She wrote: "Dad don't worry too much. I am wearing a life vest and am with other girls."

Relatives of passengers have been desperately hoping for good news

A few minutes later, as the situation deteriorated, she added: "I can't. It's too tilted. Can't move ... it's more dangerous if I move."

Her distraught father wrote back, urging her to try to get out, but it was already too late.

"Dad, I can't. The ship is too tilted. The hallway is crowded with so many people," she responded in a final message.

At 9.23am a 16-year-old called Kim Woong-Ki texted his older brother saying: "Brother, I'm riding a ship to Jeju Island and the ship hit something and it can't move."

After he was asked how bad the damage was, he said: "I don't know about that, since I'm inside. I don't have good coverage and just now the Coast Guards arrived."

The teenager's brother replied: "The rescue will arrive soon. Don't panic. Be calm and strong. You just need to move quickly as instructed. When you have coverage contact me again."

An icon on the brother's phone shows that his last message was not read and Kim was listed among almost 290 unaccounted for.

Some parents managed a last, traumatic phone call with their children as they tried to escape.

"He told me the ship was tilted over and he couldn't see anything," one mother recalled of a panicked conversation with her student son.

"He said 'I haven't put on the life jacket yet', and then the phone went dead," the mother told the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper.

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Ferry Disaster: Parents Hire Own Rescue Boats

Parents of missing teenagers aboard the stricken ferry off the coast of South Korea have been hiring rescue boats to join the search overnight.

Many relatives stared out to sea, huddled in blankets, sobbing, as hopes their loved ones would be found alive faded.   

Others expressed their anger, claiming that the rescue operation was botched and choosing instead to go searching themselves. 

Nearly 340 of those aboard the Sewol ferry are believed to have been from the same high school near the capital Seoul, on their way to Jeju island for a field trip.

Relatives are angry that the school initially said all had been rescued

Rescue operations went on through the night, under the light of flares, but divers suspended attempts to find survivors inside the submerged ship until daylight.

"My tears have dried up," said a mother in Jindo, a town near the site of the disaster where many families have gathered.

"I am holding on to hope. I hope the government does everything to bring these kids back to their mothers."

At the dockside in Jindo, women sat and stared out at the black, calm sea before them.

The father of one missing child could not bear to wait.

Divers have suspended searches inside the boat until daylight

He and 10 other parents paid 61,000 won (£35) each to hire a boat to take them to the scene, along with a local reporter and a diver.

"There was no rescue operation going on," he said on his return to Jindo.

"We clearly saw there is none. What they were doing at the time was stopping the oil spill. I'm extremely angry.

"The media says the rescue operation is still going on. It's all a lie. It makes me so furious."

Anger was also aimed at the school, which at one point mistakenly announced that all 338 students and teachers on the field trip had been rescued.

Relatives huddled under blankets waiting for news

Adding to the misery, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration initially reported that 368 people had been rescued and that around 100 were missing.

It later described those figures as a miscalculation, turning what had at first appeared to be a largely successful rescue operation into a potentially major disaster.

For many parents, the agonising wait began at Danwon High School in Ansan, a Seoul suburb, where they gathered in the morning after news of the ferry disaster broke.

Park Seong-ho, father of a missing 17-year-old boy, said: "I have to go now.

"It's as if the world is falling apart. I really want to go now to see my son."

Hopes of finding the teenagers alive faded overnight

Jeong Kyung-mi, mother of another 17-year-old from the school, was more fortunate. She received a text message from her son saying he had been rescued.

"When I heard the news, it felt like my heart had stopped beating," she said.

Parents fought their way on to coaches provided to take them to Jindo, where some were reunited with their children.

Survivors there huddled on the floor of a gymnasium, wrapped in blankets and receiving medical aid.

One woman lay on a bed shaking uncontrollably, while a man across the room wailed loudly as he spoke on his mobile phone.

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Ferry Disaster: Video Shot As Ship Capsized

Video footage has emerged from inside the South Korean ferry apparently showing passengers in life jackets as the boat began to sink.

The footage was revealed as the search continues for more than 280 missing passengers, many of whom are thought to be school children.

Six people have been confirmed dead so far - including a male student, a female crew member and another unidentified man.

Rescued passengers are brought ashore

The South Korean Coastguard says 174 people have been rescued so far.

The ferry, with 462 people and 150 vehicles on board, was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call at 9am local time (1am UK time) on Wednesday morning as it began listing to one side.

Within two hours it had completely capsized, with only the front part of its hull visible above the water.

95% of the ship is now submerged

The video footage appears to reveal an atmosphere of relative calm before the boat completely capsized, with passengers crouching and sitting in life jackets.

A cause for the tragedy has yet to be established, although one witness told television channel YTN there had been a "loud impact and noise" before it began sinking.

Captain John Noble, a marine salvage expert, told Sky News the most likely explanation was the ferry hit a rock.

Rescue crews set off flares as darkness falls

He added that passengers would have struggled to get off the ferry quite soon after it began listing.

"Once a ship gets beyond 20 degrees it is impossible for passengers to stand up without holding onto something," he said.

"Once a ship gets to its side you completely lose your orientation. Those poor people would really have relied on rescuers to get them out.

The ferry ran into difficulties 60 miles south of the Korean peninsula

"It's truly remarkable so many rescue crews got there so quickly."

The 338 pupils and teachers on board were from Danwon High School in Ansan, near Seoul. They were reportedly on their way to the Jeju island for a four-day trip.

One student, Lim Hyung-min, told YTN he jumped into the ocean wearing a life jacket with other students and then swam to a rescue boat.

Some of those rescued are being cared for in a gymnasium.

"As the ferry was shaking and tilting, we all tripped and bumped into each another," he said.

He said the ocean was "so cold", adding: "I was hurrying, thinking that I wanted to live."

The 6,825-ton ship left Incheon port, west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening and ran into difficulties about 60 miles (100km) south of the Korean peninsula.

459 people were on the ship when it started to sink

The news agency AP is reporting 55 injuries, including people with burns, hypothermia and fractured bones. 

A total of 18 helicopters, 87 rescue boats and 160 divers rushed to the scene, according to AP.

The US Navy has dispatched its amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard to aid the operation.

87 rescue boats are at the scene

Fishing and other commercial vessels appeared to rescue many passengers before emergency teams arrived.

Passenger Kim Seong-mok told YTN he was "certain" people were trapped inside as water quickly rushed into the vessel, and the severe tilt of the ferry stopped them getting out.

Some people yelled at those who could not get out, urging them to break windows, he said.

It took just two hours for the ship to capsize

Another passenger said an announcement was made on board telling them to stay put.

"It was fine. Then the ship went 'boom' and there was a noise of cargo falling," said Cha Eun-ok, who was on the deck of the ferry taking photographs at the time.

"The on-board announcement told people to stay put. People who stayed are trapped."

A mother reacts to seeing her son on the list of those rescued

Darkness has now fallen in South Korea and the rescue operation is also being hampered by muddy waters.

"There is so much mud in the sea water and the visibility is very low," Lee Gyeong-Og, the vice minister of security and public administration, told a press briefing in Seoul.

There are concerns storms could affect the operation tomorrow.

The ship, Sewol

Those rescued are being taken to the nearby Jindo Island, where medical teams are wrapping them in blankets, checking for injuries and directing them towards a school gymnasium.

Meanwhile, screams of anguish have been heard as parents of the children on board gather at their high school in Ansan, desperate for news.

An official from the company that owns the ship apologised for the tragedy.

"I would like to say sorry to the passengers including a number of students and their parents, and promise that our company will do its best to minimise loss of life. We are sorry," said Kim Young-boong, from Chunghaejin Marine Corporation.

One of the dead was found inside the sinking ferry, while another died soon after arriving at the Mokpo Hankook hospital on the mainland.

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Five Killed In University House Party Stabbing

Five people have been killed at a house party in Calgary in what has been described as the city's "worst mass murder".

The son of a veteran Canadian police officer has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Police Chief Rick Hanson said: "We have never seen five people killed at one scene. The scene was horrific."

The students were celebrating the last day of classes

At least 20 people were at the party which was being held to celebrate the end of classes at the University of Calgary.

Police said the suspect was invited to the party and shortly after arriving picked up a large knife and began stabbing the victims one by one. 

The house where the incident happened is on a quiet residential street

Chief Hanson said the victims ages range from 22 to 27 and described them all as "good kids".

Three men were found dead at the home. A man and a woman died at a local hospital.

Hanson said the suspect brought a weapon, but used a knife from the house. He said there was nothing to indicate the suspect was drunk or had been doing drugs.

Three died at the scene while two died later in hospital

He was arrested with the help of the police canine unit around 40 minutes after the incident.

Local resident Doug Jones said about a dozen students had been drinking beer around a firepit in the back garden of the house earlier in the night, but they were not rowdy.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said her prayers were with families of victims

He said they all went inside by 9pm and he heard nothing after that.

University of Calgary President Elizabeth Cannon said "It's young people who have lost their lives at a very critical point in their lifetimes. It's a huge impact on all of us."

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Ferry With 470 On Board 'Sinking' Off South Korea

A passenger ship carrying at least 470 people off the coast of South Korea is sinking, according to reports.

According to reports passengers were asked to jump overboard wearing lifejackets as the ship was on the verge of sinking.

Around 120 people are believed to have been rescued so far.

The Busan Regional Maritime Affairs & Port Administration said in a statement that the ferry with 471 people was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call.

The Yonhap news agency said many of those on board are students on their way to the island on school trips.

More follows...

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Missing Plane: Mini-Sub Data Being Analysed

Missing Plane Search Heads Into The Unknown

Updated: 7:34am UK, Monday 14 April 2014

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent, in Perth

This is the most significant development in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in more than a week.

The Bluefin-21, a state-of-the-art unmanned submersible, is now being prepared for a mission to one of the deepest parts of the Indian Ocean.

Its journey will take two hours and send it beyond any depth it has been sent to before - 4.5km down.

When it reaches the silty surface of the ocean floor, it will begin its job of looking for the wreckage.

Sonar sensors will map the undulating surface and send that information back to the monitoring vessel Ocean Shield.

It is a remarkable journey under remarkable circumstances and somewhere down there are the crew and passengers of this ill-fated flight.

Around the world, relatives are hoping something will be found.

Search leader Angus Houston told me the black box battery had likely failed.

"It's time to go underwater," he said.

An oil slick has been spotted more than 5km from the search area and a two-litre sample has been sent to the mainland for tests.

"We don't think it's from the ships," Mr Houston said, hinting it could be engine oil from the 777 jet.

But they know results from the submersible could take a long time to come through.

And there are other pressures too, not least the cost.

This international response is hugely expensive and no one knows how long it can be sustained in its current form.

I asked Mr Houston if he thought this was a "long shot".

"I wouldn't say it was," he replied. "It's a promising lead we need to pursue."

They chose their words very carefully here.

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Obama To Putin: Get Separatists Out Of Ukraine

Ukraine A 'Diplomatic Quagmire'

Updated: 1:14pm UK, Monday 14 April 2014

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

What is unfolding in eastern Ukraine is a diplomatic quagmire with governments and international agencies struggling to find purchase.

Along the long border between Ukraine and Russia you have a complicated blend of ethnicities and loyalties in a riven country, being tugged by powerful forces in the East and the West. 

Russia claims the militants occupying local government buildings in several towns are nothing to do with them - just native Russian speakers defending themselves from Kiev's illegal government which seized power in a coup and is backed by fascists and anti-Semites.

The rest of the world detects the hand of Vladimir Putin, manipulating the fears of local people and creating the context for future annexation, which it managed to pull off so effectively in Crimea.

They accuse the Kremlin of "irredentism": using cultural, religious and linguistic similarities in neighbouring countries as a pretext to justify invasion.

But the events unfolding in towns like Slavyansk and now Horlivka have shown how ineffective the global diplomatic architecture designed to calm such angry cross-border incidents really is.

:: The UN Security Council heard plenty of heated debate on Sunday evening, but no action was taken as Russia is a permanent member of the 15-nation body and so could veto any attempt at official censure.

:: Nato is beefing up its military presence in eastern Europe, but won't intervene militarily in Ukraine as Kiev is not a member of the alliance. Furthermore, proving the situation in eastern Ukraine poses a direct threat to its neighbours is difficult.

:: The EU is wary of ratcheting up sanctions because of the effect it could have on member states should Russia seek to retaliate by turning off the tap to its natural gas supplies or imposing tariffs on certain goods.

So we are left with co-ordinated rhetoric, more meetings and stern tweets, which is, in turn, emboldening the pro-Russia militias.

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Man Dies After Finishing London Marathon

A 42-year-old man has died after running the London Marathon.

The unnamed man collapsed after crossing the finishing line and received medical attention.

But he was pronounced dead when he arrived at hospital.

In a statement, the event's organisers Virgin Money expressed their "sincere condolences" to his family.

"We will not be releasing any further details of this tragic incident and would ask for your understanding in this matter," it said.

"We would like to emphasise that our immediate concern is for the family of the deceased.

"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with them at this difficult time."

A total of 36,000 competitors took part in the 26.2 mile event, which started at Blackheath and Greenwich parks and ended on The Mall.

The men's race was won by Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, while compatriot Edna Kiplagat finished first in the women's event.

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'Dangerous Escalation' In Ukraine Crisis

World leaders have warned of a "dangerous escalation" in the Ukraine crisis as fatal clashes broke out in the east of the country.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York after at least two people were killed and several injured when pro-Russian fighters seized government buildings in the city of Slavyansk.

Armed men that Western leaders claim are Russian forces have set up checkpoints and barricades in six towns in the area.

Ukraine's new government has set a deadline of 7am UK time for pro-Russian forces to put down their weapons and leave occupied buildings.

The UK's ambassador to the UN, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, told the Security Council Sunday's bloodshed was a "dangerous escalation of an already dangerous situation".

Hundreds of civilians have come out in support of the activists

He said satellite images show between 35,000 and 40,000 Russian troops are massed near the Ukraine border, in addition to the 25,000 "illegally" in Crimea.

Sir Mark said there are increasing signs of Russian involvement in orchestrating the violence.

"We want to use this Security Council meeting to expose that but also warn Russia against using events in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for further military escalation in the region," he said.

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the meeting he is alarmed by Ukraine's announcement of a "full-scale anti-terror operation" to seize back occupied areas.

He denied Western claims that Moscow is behind the violence, and said Kiev has been using neo-Nazi forces to destabilise its eastern region.

Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are among the latest cities to be hit by unrest

"It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine," he said.

"Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on. Enough. That is enough."

He said Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine are "concerned about their future" and "don't want radicals to impose their will on them".

Sky's Hannah Thomas-Peter, outside the UN headquarters, said: "There's more than a little irritation on the part of Western diplomats that Russia, having used its veto position within the Security Council to paralyse that body over any meaningful action on Ukraine, has now decided to call an emergency meeting to put forward its point of view on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

"But unilaterally America is prepared to act. The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power has said that sanctions against Russia are already beginning to bite.

"And the White House is willing to tighten those sanctions and to extend them to include sanctions against sectors like the mining sector, financial and energy sectors."

European Union foreign ministers are holding talks later today to discuss how to toughen sanctions against Russia without losing the support of EU governments worried about Moscow switching off the gas to Europe.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement: "The Russian Federation is urged to call back its troops from the Ukrainian border and to cease any further actions aimed at destabilising Ukraine."

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UKIP Poll Boost: Tory And Lib Dem Support Falls

Nigel Farage's UKIP has been given a boost in a new poll which puts support for the party at 20%, four points higher than last month.

It comes after he was said to have come out top in the head-to-head clashes with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg over Britain's future in Europe.

It is UKIP's highest rating in a ComRes survey, while the Conservatives have scored their lowest rating so far this year at 29%, down three.

In the new poll for the Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror, the Tories are six points behind Labour which are unchanged on 35%.

The Liberal Democrats have fallen to just 7% - a dip of two points and their lowest since they went into coalition with the Conservatives in 2010.

Mr Farage's personal rating also appears to have received a boost after the recent debates.

Nigel Farage was said to have come out top in the debates

The UKIP chief has enjoyed a seven-point bounce since February, taking him to 27%.

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg is down one point to 12%, while Prime Minister David Cameron has dropped four points to 27% and Labour leader Ed Miliband is down two points to 20%.

Mr Cameron's rating may have been dented by his handling of the expenses furore involving former culture secretary Maria Miller.

Some 62% of voters believe he showed a serious lack of leadership in the way he dealt with the case.

Most voters, 62%, believe constituents should be able to force sitting MPs to defend their seat in a by-election if enough people sign a petition demanding it, the research found.

A second poll also puts Labour in a six-point lead

Sky News Political Correspondent Anushka Asthana said: "We're only a few weeks out from the European elections and UKIP are kind of what the Lib Dems used to be - the party that stands against the establishment.

"They used to just talk about Europe - now it is local, popular issues such as HS2.

"The Conservatives are really badly hit by UKIP rising because that tends to split the right.

"And pollsters say if UKIP get anything over eight points in a general election they would split the right and would stop David Cameron from winning an overall majority.

"So he will be very worried about that."

Meanwhile, a Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper puts the Conservatives on 30%, Labour 36%, Lib Dems 7% and UKIP on 18%.

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Mini-Sub To Be Used As Plane Search Narrows

The commander of the Royal Navy ship searching for flight MH370 has told Sky News they are getting close to sending down a mini-submarine to hunt for wreckage.

HMS Echo is working with Australian vessel Ocean Shield to locate the Boeing 777-200's black box before it runs out of power.

The plane carrying 239 people vanished from radar on March 8 and is thought to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, around 1,500 miles off Australia's west coast.

Ocean Shield, towing a US Navy device to detect signals from the plane's fading beacons, first picked up two underwater "pings" consistent with those from a black box on April 5.

This was followed by two more in the same area three days later.

HMS Echo is searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing jet

The crew of HMS Echo are analysing the signals by looking at the currents and ocean depth of around 2.8 miles (4.5km) to try to pin-point the plane's wreckage.

The underwater search zone has been narrowed to around 500 square miles (1,300 square km) - roughly the size of Los Angeles.

Phillip Newell, commanding officer of HMS Echo, told Sky News: "We believe we have come close to that point now where we can move to the next stage and deploy a remote vehicle which can go down to the correct depth and search the sea bed."

The Bluefin-21 can search between 20 and 40 square miles a day

The crew will use Bluefin-21, a mini-submarine used to find the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, to search the sea bed for debris.

But major hindrances still remain, and it could be years before the Malaysia Airlines jet is found, radar expert Professor David Stupples told Sky News.

The search is also set to be hampered by bad weather this week.

Sunday's planned search area

Eleven military aircraft, one civil aircraft and 14 ships are taking part in today's search, said the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, the international body leading the hunt.

It said there have been no confirmed acoustic detections over the past 24 hours.

The batteries that power signals from the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders last only about a month and it has been more than five weeks since the plane disappeared.

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