Third mate takes helm of sunken S Korean ferry at last minutes

A third mate took the helm of a South Korean ferry at the last minutes before the ship capsized off the country's southwestern coast, prosecutors said Friday.

The prosecutors told a press briefing that the third mate conned the ship before it was sinking and testimonies on where the captain was when the ship was sinking have been mixed.

The police and prosecutors have been questioning rescued captain and crew members to figure out why the ship sank. The 69- year-old captain came back to the steering room after the ship began tilting, the prosecutors said.

The 6,825-ton Sewol capsized and sank off Jindo Island, near the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula, on Wednesday morning.

The ferry disaster was believed to have been caused by a sudden turn in direction. The ship made an abrupt turn at about 8:48 am local time Wednesday, according to the automatic identification system (AIS) data offered by the South Korean Oceans and Fisheries Ministry. The second turn was suddenly made four minutes later.

The Coast Guard received a distress signal from the ship at 8: 55 am, and the ferry remained afloat for two and a half hours with its body tilting.

The abrupt turn was estimated to have moved some 180 cars and trucks and over 1,100 tons of cargo on the deck of the ship to one side, driving the ship to lean to the port side gradually.

The ship tilted first, rolled over on the port side and capsized before being submerged at around 11:30 am.

The ferry was originally believed to have run aground as some rescued passengers said they heard a bumping sound on the bow.

The bang was estimated to be a noise made when the vehicles and containers were out of their place and crashing each other.

At the first stage, the ferry was believed to have veered off course as it departed some two and a half hours later than schedule due to a heavy fog, but the oceans ministry said the ship was not far off its intended route.

Rescued passengers said an announcement was heard at 9 am through loudspeakers in the vessel warning them against move as it would be dangerous. Announcements were made several times ordering them to stay put thirty minutes later.

While the captain and several crew members escaped from the ferry, many passengers were left behind and failed to escape timely.

The ferry's regular captain who had been on leave was replaced by the 69-year-old captain surnamed Lee, who the ship's operator Chonghaejin Marine said is a veteran with eight years of experience on the Incheon-Jeju Island route.

Prosecutors will request an arrest warrant for the captain, while searching the operator's headquarters and seizing documents and records.

This is the second accident involving a Chonghaejin Marine vessel in three weeks. Another Chonghaejin ferry hit a fishing boat on March 28 en route from Incheon to Baengnyeong Island in the West Sea. The 396-ton ship was carrying about 140 passengers and no injuries were reported in the accident.