A court in South Korea has heard the testimony of students who survived the Sewol ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly children.

The students testified during the trial of the Sewol's captain and 14 crew members on charges including negligence and homicide.

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Seventeen students agreed to give their testimony during the hearing in Ansan city, south of Seoul.

They told the court how the crew responded to the sinking of the ferry, and how the survivors managed to escape the doomed vessel.

One student said crew members repeatedly told the passengers to put on their life jackets and remain in their cabins even as the ship was beginning to sink.

The student said she and her classmates did not leave their cabins as instructed until the ferry keeled over to one side and they found that the door to their cabin was already above their heads.

Another witness recounted how the other students were trapped inside the sinking vessel, as they were unable to swim against the surging water.

The Sewol was carrying 476 people when it capsized on April 16 off Jeju island. Of the 325 students on board the ferry, only 75 survived.

The captain, Lee Joon-Seok, and three senior crew members are charged with "homicide through willful negligence," an offense punishable by death.

The 11 other crew members are accused of breaking maritime safety regulations.

The trial centers on charges that the crew abandoned the ship and ordered passengers to remain in their cabins as it began to list, trapping hundreds of people inside.

One student who testified in the trial said that she and the others who escaped did not get any help from the crew as they struggled to get out of their water-filled cabins.  

The tragedy has caused shock and outrage across South Korea, and there have been concerns that the public's reaction might influence the outcome of the trial. 

Tagssouth korea ferry disaster, South Korea ferry captain, Sewol disaster