Baengnyeong Island (S Korea): Stormy conditions forced the military to suspend the search for 46 sailors missing since a mysterious blast blew apart their navy ship last week, officials said today, a day after a diver died during the rescue mission.
Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae told reporters that divers could not go down to the wreckage of the Cheonan due to the prospect of rain, high winds and a swift current.
Parts of the ship remained moored in the rough Yellow Sea near Baengnyeong Island, just south of the two Koreas’ maritime border.
Divers managed to get down to the section where sailors are believed trapped but heard no signs of life inside, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. They attempted to get into a door in the stern yesterday but made little headway, Rear Adm. Lee Ki-sik said.
Also yesterday, a 53-year-old diver who lost consciousness during a rescue attempt died and another was treated for injuries.
The sailors’ families gathered at a naval base south of Seoul cried and yelled as they demanded that authorities step up the search operation.
An explosion ripped the 1,200-ton ship apart Friday night during a routine patrol, officials said. Fifty-eight crew members, including the captain, were rescued.
Via: zeenews.com
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