South Korea ferry: prosecutors request arrest warrant for captain

Investigators examine claims that Lee Joon-seok, 69, abandoned ship as official toll rises to 29 with death of school deput headmaster !n image said to show captain Lee Joon-seok being helped off the stricken ferr the "ewol# $hotograph% &andout'(ett Images

Justin McCurry in )ok o *rida +, !pril 2-+. $rosecutors in "outh /orea have re0uested a warrant for the arrest of the captain of the "outh /orean ferr that sank on 1ednesda , leaving hundreds missing, feared dead# 1arrants for the arrest of two other crew members have also been lodged with a court# )he re0uest came as speculation mounted that more lives could have been saved had the captain, Lee Joon-seok, issued an evacuation order sooner# Investigators were also examining reports that the ferr took a sharp turn 2ust before it started listing as well as claims that Lee, 69, abandoned the ship, as hopes dimmed for the 26, passengers still trapped inside the vessel# )he official death toll from the disaster, which occurred off the south-west coast of "outh /orea, rose to 29 after several bodies were retrieved from the sea near the wreck of the "ewol# )he victims include /ang 3in-g u, the deput headmaster of 4anwon high school, whose pupils are among those missing# 5eports said /ang, 62, had been found dead in an apparent suicidenear a g mnasium on Jindo, an island near the accident site from where the rescue operation is being directed# /ang was one of several teachers accompan ing 726 pupils from 4anwon high school in the "eoul suburb of !nsan who are believed to comprise the ma2orit of those still trapped inside the ferr # ! colleague at the school said /ang, who was among +89 rescued passengers, had been overcome with guilt# 9!s the teacher responsible for the students: safet , he was suffering with serious feelings of guilt,9 the /orea &erald 0uoted the teacher as sa ing# 9)he families of the

victims vented their anger towards him ; he was brokenhearted#9 !s hundreds of divers, rescue boats and aircraft continued the frantic search for survivors in difficult conditions about 26km off Jindo, accident investigators focused on the actions of Lee and his crew# <fficials said a 2unior officer was steering the ship when the ferr capsi=ed, adding that Lee, who has been criticised for apparentl 2umping into a rescue boat while hundreds of his passengers remained on board, ma have been in another part of the vessel# "ome reports said Lee returned to the bridge as soon as the ferr started listing# 9>)he captain? ma have been off the bridge,9 $ark Jae-eok, an investigating official, told reporters# 9!nd the person at the helm at the time was the third officer#9 Lee, who is being 0uestioned b police about his actions, has come under fire for apparentl abandoning the ship 7- to .- minutes after it began listing# "urvivors and the parents of missing children have voiced anger that passengers were initiall told to sta in their seats and cabins rather than make their wa to the emergenc exits# It emerged on *rida that the crew had not acted immediatel on an order b a local transportation office to tell passengers to put on life 2ackets and prepare to evacuate# )he order from officials on Je2u, the ferr :s destination, came five minutes after the accident, but the crew did not tell passengers to leave the vessel for at least another 26 minutes# "ome survivors said the did not hear an instructions to abandon the ship# )went of the ship:s 7crew survived, reports said# )he ferr was carr ing .86 passengers and crew on a trip from the western port of Incheon to the southern resort island of Je2u# )he passengers included 726 teenagers and +6 teachers from 4anwon high school# )he 6,,76-ton ferr sank about two hours after issuing a distress signal shortl before 9am on 1ednesda # It is still unclear what caused the "ewol to roll on to its side and sink, but there is speculation that it either hit a submerged rock, or began to list after a sharp turn caused poorl secured cargo to shift suddenl to one side of the ship# @oastguard officials said investigators were looking into possible negligence b the crew and potential problems with the wa the cargo was stowed, although the ship reportedl passed all its safet and insurance checks# Lee has not commented publicl on the situation on the bridge at the time of the accident, or wh he abandoned the ship while hundreds of passengers were still on board# $ark, the official involved in the investigation, said Lee had turned the controls of the ship over to a 26- ear-old third mate with one ear:s experience# 9!lthough surviving crew members have given different accounts about the situation, we are investigating the captain as he is suspected of leaving the steering room for an unknown reason,9 the /orea )imes 0uoted $ark as sa ing#

<n )hursda , Lee issued a brief apolog to the relatives of the dead and missing# 9I am reall sorr and deepl ashamed,9 he said# 9I don:t know what to sa #9 Aut parents who spent another sleepless night at a hospital in 3okpo, a cit close to the rescue operation, were scathing about Lee:s actions# 9&ow could he tell those oung kids to sta there and 2ump from the sinking ship himselfB9 said &am Coung-ho, whose grandchild, +8- ear-old Lee 4a-woon, is among the dead# )he investigation is also focusing on the the ship:s owner, @honghae2in 3arine, in Incheon# )he firm added more cabin rooms to three floors after it bought the ferr on 2-+2, an official at the /orean 5egister of "hipping told the !ssociated $ress# )he extension work increased the "ewol:s weight b +,8 tons and created space for another ++8 passengers, although experts said such modifications were not unusual# !bout 6-- divers involved in the rescue operation have been frustrated b strong currents and poor visibilit # )he were unable to enter the ship after managing to open the door to the ferr :s cargo hold, according to "outh /orea:s securit ministr # Darlier, the ministr had incorrectl stated that divers were inside the cargo area# 91e cannot even see the ship:s white colour# <ur people are 2ust touching the hull with their hands,9 /im @hun-il, a diver from Endine 3arine Industries, told relatives of the missing# )he chances of finding survivors looked increasingl slim on *rida when the ship disappeared completel beneath the water at around noon# Dxperts have said that people can survive for around 82 hours if air pockets have formed in the ship:s compartmentsF more than ., hours have passed since the ship capsi=ed# 4ivers began pumping air into the ship on *rida , but it was not immediatel clear if the air was for possible survivors or to assist the salvage operation# !bout +8- vessels and 29 aircraft are now involved in the rescue operation, according to the "outh /orean coastguard# @onfronted with its worst ferr disaster for more than 2- ears, "outh /orea has gone into mourning# )G stations took primetime soap operas and variet shows off the air and instead showed documentaries and around-the-clock coverage of the rescue operation# @ompanies cancelled social events, while local governments called off festivals, concerts and other events# )he countr :s pop stars abandoned plans to release new albums and postponed concerts and promotional events#