Arrest warrant sought for captain of S. Korea sunken ferry

TOKYO, April 18 (KUNA) -- South Korea's joint police and prosecution team said Friday that it has sought an arrest warrant for the captain of a sunken ferry on charges of abandoning ship in violation of seafarers' law, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.
The investigation team alleged that 69-year-old captain Lee Jun-seok had failed to carry out his duty of taking care of passengers by leaving the vessel first.
At least 28 people have been confirmed dead and 268 missing as of Friday from the sinking of the 6,825-ton ship Sewol, off the southern coast of South Korea on Wednesday.
Lee is suspected of instructing passengers to remain seated even as the boat was listing leftward, denying them a chance to escape. Arrest warrants were also sought against two crew members, including a 26-year-old third officer with one year of experience, for the same charge, the report said.
Meanwhile, rescue workers stepped up their search for the still missing in the deadly sinking of the ferry amid growing fears no survivors remained.
Hundreds of coast guard and military officers, along with civilian divers, struggled to gain access to the submerged ship to search for 268 passengers who are still unaccounted for, but their efforts were hampered by strong currents and murky waters.
A total of 475 passengers, including 325 high schoolers on a field trip, were aboard the ferry when it capsized in waters off the southwestern island of Jindo on a foggy Wednesday morning. It was en route to the southern resort island of Jeju from the western port of Incheon. While 179 have been rescued, no one has been found alive since around Wednesday noon when the ship capsized.
Battling strong underwater currents and low visibility, a group of veteran divers attempted to enter the submerged hull after they secured a path inside, according to the Coast Guard. Experts say that people could possibly survive for up to 72 hours if there are air pockets in the compartments.
Experts and investigators have raised the possibility of a sudden shift in 180 vehicles and 1,157 tons of freight on board disrupting the balance of the ship.
The sinking is feared to be the nation's biggest ferry disaster since 1993, when a vessel capsized off its west coast, killing 292 people. The currently sunk ferry boat, built in 1994, is 146 meters long and 22 meters wide, and has the maximum capacity of carrying 921 people, 180 vehicles and 152 shipping containers at the same time. (end) mk.ajs