Ferry firm was warned about ship’s heavy cargo
Print Edition
AN off-duty captain of the sunken South Korean ferry has told investigators that the owners ignored his warning that the ship shouldn’t carry too much cargo because it wasn’t very stable, a prosecutor said yesterday.
The captain, who was identified only by his surname, Shin, was on vacation on the day of the accident two weeks ago that has left more than 300 people, mostly high school students, dead or missing and has caused widespread grief and shame. The ferry was piloted on April 16 by a substitute captain, Lee Joon-seok, who has been detained along with 14 other crew members who were involved in navigating the Sewol.
Yang Jung-jin, a senior prosecutor on the team investigating the sinking off the southern coast, wouldn’t say when the captain warned the company.
A stability test report on January 24 from the Korean Register of Shipping showed that the ferry became top-heavy and less stable after modifications were made from October 2012 to February 2013.
Divers have found 212 bodies from the wreckage. They fought strong currents and floating debris inside the ship again yesterday as they searched for 90 people still missing.
Senior prosecutor Ahn Sang-don, also part of the investigation team, said yesterday that authorities detained two employees of Chonghaejin Marine Co, the ferry’s owner, on suspicion of accidental homicide stemming from professional negligence in connection with the sinking.
Meanwhile, family members of students killed dismissed as insincere President Park Geun-hye’s apology for the government’s handling of the disaster. The ship carried 476 people, with 174 surviving, including 22 of 29 crew staff.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
