Prosecutors seek arrest warrant for ferry captain
In this image taken from video from Mokpo Coast Guard, passengers from a ferry sinking off South Korea’s southern coast, are rescued by South Korean Coast guard in the water off the southern coast near Jindo, south of Seoul, Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Nearly 300 people were still missing Wednesday several hours after the ferry carrying 477, most of them high school students, sank in cold waters off South Korea’s southern coast. AP
SEOUL, South Korea—Prosecutors say they’ve asked a court to issue an arrest warrant for the captain of the South Korean ferry that sank two days ago, leaving hundreds missing and feared dead.
Prosecutors said Friday that they have also requested arrest warrants for two other crewmembers.
The investigation into the ferry disaster has focused on the sharp turn it took just before it started listing and whether a quicker evacuation order by the captain could have saved lives. Investigators are also determining whether the captain abandoned the ship.
Rescuers are struggling to find about 270 people still missing and feared dead.
At least 28 bodies have been recovered. Officials said there were 179 survivors and about 270 people remain missing, many of them high school students.
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