South Korea ferry disaster: Warnings not heeded, says Captain
Captain had warned shipping company of serious stability problems
Seoul: A probe into South Korea’s ferry disaster has heard that warnings over the ship’s seaworthiness were ignored, prosecutors said on Wednesday, as rescuers worked to recover the bodies of more than 90 people still missing.
The confirmed death toll from the accident two weeks ago stood at 210, with 92 unaccounted for, the coastguard said, as divers pushed deeper into the submerged vessel's interior in their search for bodies.
The recovery operation has stalled in recent days because of strong currents and debris blocking access to some of the cabin decks. Prosecutors investigating the disaster on Tuesday questioned the regular captain of the 6,825-tonne Sewol, who was on leave when it capsized on April 16.
Senior prosecutor Yang JongJin said the captain, identified only as Shin, told investigators he had warned the shipping company of serious stability problems with the Sewol.