South Korean prosecutors have detained four more crew members in a widening investigation into a ferry disaster that left hundreds missing, presumed dead.
Three officers and one engineer from the capsized ferry Sewol were taken into police custody, following the arrest at the weekend of the captain and two other crew members.
The 6,825-tonne ship sank off the southwest coast on Wednesday with 476 people on board - mostly high school students on a holiday trip.
Captain Lee Joon-Seok was arrested on Saturday along with a helmsman and the ship's relatively inexperienced third officer, who was in charge of the bridge when the ship first ran into trouble.
They were charged on counts ranging from criminal negligence to violation of maritime law.
The four detained today could face similar charges, a prosecutor said.
The ferry captain took part in a promotional video six years ago in which he said marine transport was safe as long as passengers followed orders.
Excerpts from the video were shown on local news channels, just as President Park Geun-Hye described Captain Lee Joon-Seok's actions as his ship began to capsize as being 'tantamount to murder.'
Survivors said the crew instructed them to stay in their cabins even as the Sewol listed dramatically, delaying evacuation that could have saved many lives.
Parents of the children missing in what is likely to turn out to be one of South Korea's worst maritime disasters sit exhausted from days of grief, waiting for the almost inevitable news that their loved ones had died.
The have spent all their time since the accident in a gymnasium in the port city of Jindo, taking it in turns to vent their anger at the crew's inaction and slow pace of the rescue operation.
Divers are retrieving the bodies at a faster pace and some parents have moved from the gymnasium to the pier to await news. Others stay put on their mattresses in the gym, where one by one, parents are informed that a body matches the family DNA swab, prompting wailing and collapses as others look on in silence. A father of one of the missing said parents no longer trusted the news or government or even each other.
Two US underwater drones have been deployed in the search for bodies, a coastguard official said. Strong tides hampered operations overnight but the weather outlook was better for today.
{ 0 comments... Views All / Send Comment! }
Post a Comment