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A South Korean court is to hear evidence in the trial of the captain and 14 crew members of a ferry that sank in April, killing more than 300, the BBC reported. 

The crew are charged with negligence and abandoning ship. The captain and three officers are also charged with "homicide through wilful negligence."

Captain Lee Joon-sok's lawyer suggested he would contest the murder charge because there was no intent to kill.

The Sewol ferry capsized and sank on 16 April, with 476 people on board.

A total of 304 people are believed to have died. Divers have conducted an extensive search of the sunken ship to recover their bodies and on Tuesday retrieved the remains of a female passenger.

That brings the number of bodies recovered to 293, with 11 people still unaccounted for. Most of those on board the ferry were teenagers on a school trip.

Prosecutors say the ship capsized because it was overloaded, with cargo improperly stowed. Five executives from ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine are also facing charges.

The crew have been accused of prioritising their own safety over that of passengers, and also of causing more deaths by instructing people to remain in their cabins instead of evacuating the ship.

They are being tried at the district court in the southern city of Gwangju.