Arrest Warrant Sought For Capsized Ferry Captain

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 18 April 2014 | 18.25

Prosecutors have asked a court to issue an arrest warrant for the captain of the South Korean ferry which sank with 475 passengers on board.

Two other crew members are also being sought after the court appeal on Friday.

It comes as it emerged the captain of the ferry was not at the helm of the ship when it capsized, according to investigators.

The third officer was understood to be piloting the ship when the tragedy occurred, an investigating prosecutor told a news conference, and the captain may not even have been on the bridge at the time.

Family members of missing passengers who were on a South Korean ferry which capsized on Wednesday, wait for news of their family at a gym in Jindo Family members of missing passengers wait for news at a gym in Jindo

Investigators are also looking at whether the third officer ordered the vessel to make an abrupt turn, which caused it to tilt severely and take on water, according to prosecutor Park Jae-Eok.

"He may have been off the bridge... and the person at the helm at the time was the third officer," the investigator said.

"The captain was not in command when the accident took place," he added.

It has also been revealed the captain, Lee Joon-Seok, 68, delayed evacuation for half an hour after the distress signal was sent, leading some to suggest more lives could have been saved had he acted sooner.

Crane arrival A crane arrives at the scene

Oh Yong-Seok, a helmsman on the ferry with 10 years of shipping experience, said when the crew gathered on the bridge and sent a distress call, the ship was already listing more than five degrees - the critical angle at which a vessel can be brought back to even keel.

About half an hour after passengers were told to stay where they were, Mr Lee finally gave the order to abandon ship, according to Mr Oh.

He added he was unsure in the confusion on the bridge if the order was relayed to the passengers.

Several survivors have said they did not hear any evacuation orders.

By the time the order was given, it was impossible for crew members to move to passengers' rooms to help them because the ship was tilted at an impossibly acute angle, he said.

Captain of sunken ferry Lee Joon-seok Lee Joon-Seok was not at the helm when the ship began listing

It has been suggested the evacuation delay also prevented lifeboats from being deployed in time.

Meanwhile, a crane that will be used to try to salvage the ferry has arrived at the accident site.

The confirmed death toll from the sinking of the Sewol is 25, but that number is expected to rise sharply with about 270 people still missing. Officials have so far confirmed only 179 survivors.

Some 325 of the passengers were students from Danwon High School near Seoul.

Of the 29 crew members, 20 people including Mr Lee survived.

Family members of passengers onboard the capsized South Korean ferry Sewol cry during a Buddhist ritual in Jindo Anxious relatives take part in a Buddhist ritual

After the tragedy, he made a brief, videotaped appearance, although his face was hidden by a grey hoodie.

He said: "I am really sorry and deeply ashamed. I don't know what to say."

Divers are working in shifts to try get into the upturned ship to pump oxygen into the vessel to help any survivors, but their attempts are being hampered by strong currents and freezing temperatures.

The 146-metre (480ft) ship had left Incheon on the northwestern coast of South Korea on Tuesday for the overnight journey to the southern resort island of Jeju.

It was three hours from its destination on Wednesday morning when it began to list for reasons unknown.


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