A South Korean ferry captain was sentenced on Tuesday to 36 years in prison for negligence and abandoning passengers when his ship sank earlier this year, but the court acquitted him of homicide, concluding there was no proof he knew his actions would cause the more than 300 deaths that shocked and outraged the country.

The highly anticipated verdict came on the same day searches were called off for the final nine victims and amid continuing grief and finger-pointing over one of the worst disasters in South Korean history.

Victims' relatives immediately criticized the sentences for Captain Lee Joon-seok and other crew members as too lenient, some weeping and shouting during the court proceedings.