Asia-Pacific
Rescue continues in ROK naval ship sinking, 46 still missing
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-27 16:23
 |
Large Medium Small |
BAENGNYEONG ISLAND, South Korea – Hopes faded Saturday for the rescue of 46 sailors missing 12 hours after an explosion occurred on a South Korean military ship that sank in one of the country's worst naval disasters, even as authorities continued searching the murky waters near the sea border with North Korea.
Navy and coast guard vessels, as well as air force planes, were combing the waters near South Korea's Baengnyeong Island where the 1,200-ton Cheonan sank early Saturday in bad weather and rough waves during a routine patrolling mission.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said an explosion tore a hole into the Cheonan's rear hull late Friday night, shutting off the engine, wiping out the power and taking the ship down a little over three hours later. Officials weren't more specific about where on the ship the explosion occurred.
Most of the vessel was underwater Saturday, though the ship's hull was visible. Officials have yet to confirm any deaths. Some of the rescued were treated for burns, broken bones and abrasions, but none of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
President Lee Myung-bak ordered officials to quickly determine what caused the ship to sink, presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said.
There was no indication North Korea — which lies some 10 miles (17 kilometers) from Baengnyeong Island — was to blame, but troops kept a vigilant watch.
Lee reconvened a security meeting and instructed officials to make all efforts to rescue the missing sailors, the spokeswoman said. Kim added there were no signs of North Korean troop movements.
A number of crew members jumped into the water after the explosion, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which said rescuers had picked up 58 sailors but 46 still were missing.
"The sound of people screaming filled the air," Kim Jin-ho, a seaman on a local passenger ship to Baengnyeong, told cable news channel YTN. "Marines on deck were desperately shouting: 'Save me!'"
Hopes for the missing were diminishing with each hour, a coast guard official said. He said humans can survive in winter waters if rescued within two hours, noting that the temperatures of the Yellow Sea at the time was between 37 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit (3-5 degrees Celsius). He asked not to be identified because of sensitivity of the issue.
Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Park Seong-woo said the military will issue a judgment on the cause of the accident after rescue teams search and salvage the vessel for analysis.
|
 South Korean Navy's Ship Salvage Unit members on a rubber boat patrol to rescue possible survivors from sunken naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeongdo, an island near the border with North Korea March 27, 2010. A South Korean naval ship sank near the disputed maritime border with North Korea and about 46 people were missing, but officials played down suggestions that it may have been attacked by the North. [Agencies]
|
|
 South Korean naval ship Cheonan (R) is seen sunk as a maritime police ship patrols to rescue possible survivors near the Baeknyeong island off Incheon, west of Seoul March 27, 2010.[Agencies] |
|
 South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (C) presides over an emergency national security-related ministerial meeting reconvened as defence minister Kim Tae-young (2nd R) uses a phone at the presidential Blue House in Seoul March 27, 2010. [Agencies]
|
