Families of the victims of April's ferry disaster on Wednesday renewed their call for an early adoption of a special law aimed at shedding light on the cause of one of the country's worst disasters.

The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized in waters off the country's southwest coast on April 16 with some 476 people on board, mostly high school students. A total of 293 people have been confirmed dead, with 11 others still unaccounted for.

"There is no choice but for us to respond with a stronger act such as pushing forward with an interview with the president if the special law is not enacted by the end of today," an association representing the families said in a statement.

The families asked that the nation's ruling and opposition parties handle the special law by agreeing on contentious issues because progress at the parliament has been slow due to partisan disputes.

The two sides are at odds over various details such as the composition of the parliamentary inspection team and whether to give investigative power to the team, dimming the prospect for the law's passage during an ongoing parliamentary session.

Meanwhile, a group of some four dozen surviving high school students and their parents arrived at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Wednesday after marching for two days.

A total of 46 students of Danwon High School in Ansan, south of Seoul, and 10 parents began marching on Tuesday, demanding that authorities unearth the truth behind the cause of the accident. (Yonhap)