As the death toll of the South Korea Sewol ferry disaster climbed to 128 people on Tuesday, with 174 people still reported missing, executives at the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) were forced to apologize for a news broadcast that showed their reporters smiling in front of the sunken vessel.

According to the South Korean network's explanation, the reporters were not discussing or reporting on the Sewol ferry tragedy when they were seen smiling on camera in a live shot broadcast on Sunday.

"After the live broadcast, the reporter was talking about other things with the other reporters while they were preparing for the next broadcast," the SBS statement read, according to Turkey Sea News.

"The segment where the reporter was getting ready for his next segment aired by accident by the broadcast manager who was in charge of the outgoing feed."

"Even though it was technically an accident, we hurt the viewers and the families affected by the Sewol sinking by airing an inappropriate scene while the entire nation is grieving because of the [Sewol ferry] sinking," the statement continued. "We apologize again."

Meanwhile, CNN reported on Tuesday that the emergency diving team at the site of the capsized Sewol ferry had reached the cafeteria where it was believed many of the passengers on board had been at the time the vessel started to sink.

According to Koh Myung Seok, a spokesman for the joint task force leading the search for survivors, the conditions are nearly impossible.

"Divers can't even see their hands," Koh said.

According to rescue diver Bard Yoon, the situation is almost too much to bear.

"We're going in thinking there may be survivors," he said. "When we have to come back with nothing, we can't even face the families."