ID :
117390
Sun, 04/18/2010 - 23:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/117390
The shortlink copeid
Stem of sunken warship also suggest external blast as cause of sinking: officials
(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 5-6)
SEOUL, April 18 (Yonhap) -- The submerged stem of a warship that sank
mysteriously last month is heavily tattered as its stern, giving credence to an
initial conclusion that an external explosion was the cause of the disaster,
military officials said Sunday.
After lifting the stern of the sunken warship Cheonan on Thursday, navy and
civilian divers are now working to hoist the stem from the water to determine the
exact cause of the mishap. The vessel sank on March 26 after breaking into two
from what military officials and witnesses say was an explosion.
After checking the damaged parts of the ship's stern. investigators said Friday
that the sinking was probably caused by an external blast.
Officials quoted divers working underwater to retrieve the submerged stem as
reporting seeing "tattered cuts" in its broken face and disheveled electric
wires.
Officials also said that the recovery of the stem may take longer than expected.
The navy earlier said it was working to lift it from the water by Saturday.
On Sunday, divers successfully tied a third chain around the stem on Sunday and
was working to link one more to it, but the efforts were hampered by bad weather,
according to the officials.
"Once we compare and match the torn sides of the stem and the stern, we expect to
conclude that the (sinking) was from an outside explosion," one official said.
"Consequently, finding material evidence is crucial."
The warship went down during a routine patrol near the Yellow Sea border with
North Korea, the site of three bloody naval clashes between the two Koreas.
Fifty-eight of the 104 crew members were pulled out alive, and 38 were confirmed
dead. Eight others remain unaccounted for.
Navy divers have been combing the ocean for debris and fragments from a torpedo
or a floating mine, which investigators have said are possible causes of the
explosion. No firm evidence has so far been found.
North Korea on Saturday broke silence and denied any involvement in the incident,
Appearing on a television news show on Sunday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu
Myung-hwan said Seoul may take the issue to the U.N. Security Council if the
North is found to have played a part.
"The first thing that we can think of, if North Korea is found to be blamed for,
is raising the issue at the U.N. Security Council," Yu said.
He, however, was cautious, stressing that the North's involvement is one of the
multiple possibilities.
South Korea is trying to find the cause "in a scientific, transparent and through
manner and with international cooperation," but it's still "hard to prejudge the
result," he said.
"As for the government, we're making thorough preparations to cope with all
possibilities," he stressed.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, April 18 (Yonhap) -- The submerged stem of a warship that sank
mysteriously last month is heavily tattered as its stern, giving credence to an
initial conclusion that an external explosion was the cause of the disaster,
military officials said Sunday.
After lifting the stern of the sunken warship Cheonan on Thursday, navy and
civilian divers are now working to hoist the stem from the water to determine the
exact cause of the mishap. The vessel sank on March 26 after breaking into two
from what military officials and witnesses say was an explosion.
After checking the damaged parts of the ship's stern. investigators said Friday
that the sinking was probably caused by an external blast.
Officials quoted divers working underwater to retrieve the submerged stem as
reporting seeing "tattered cuts" in its broken face and disheveled electric
wires.
Officials also said that the recovery of the stem may take longer than expected.
The navy earlier said it was working to lift it from the water by Saturday.
On Sunday, divers successfully tied a third chain around the stem on Sunday and
was working to link one more to it, but the efforts were hampered by bad weather,
according to the officials.
"Once we compare and match the torn sides of the stem and the stern, we expect to
conclude that the (sinking) was from an outside explosion," one official said.
"Consequently, finding material evidence is crucial."
The warship went down during a routine patrol near the Yellow Sea border with
North Korea, the site of three bloody naval clashes between the two Koreas.
Fifty-eight of the 104 crew members were pulled out alive, and 38 were confirmed
dead. Eight others remain unaccounted for.
Navy divers have been combing the ocean for debris and fragments from a torpedo
or a floating mine, which investigators have said are possible causes of the
explosion. No firm evidence has so far been found.
North Korea on Saturday broke silence and denied any involvement in the incident,
Appearing on a television news show on Sunday, South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu
Myung-hwan said Seoul may take the issue to the U.N. Security Council if the
North is found to have played a part.
"The first thing that we can think of, if North Korea is found to be blamed for,
is raising the issue at the U.N. Security Council," Yu said.
He, however, was cautious, stressing that the North's involvement is one of the
multiple possibilities.
South Korea is trying to find the cause "in a scientific, transparent and through
manner and with international cooperation," but it's still "hard to prejudge the
result," he said.
"As for the government, we're making thorough preparations to cope with all
possibilities," he stressed.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
