Download
The captain and three other crew members of the ferry that sank off South Korea last month were indicted on charges of manslaughter through gross negligence on Thursday, a prosecutor said.
Under South Korean criminal law, Captain Lee Joon-Seok, two navigators and a chief engineer could be handed the death sentence if convicted, although that penalty is very unlikely to be carried out.
"The four were indicted on charges of manslaughter through gross negligence," senior prosecutor Yang Jong-Jin, who is also spokesman for the prosecution, told AFP.
Even after being instructed by maritime safety authorities to help passengers evacuate the Sewol ferry, they failed to take any action and almost an hour later climbed aboard the first rescue boat, Yang said.
The four are accused of leaving the ship as it was sinking while telling passengers, mostly high school students on a school excursion, to stay where they were.
They scrambled to safety along with 11 other lower-ranking crew members while hundreds remained trapped, Yang said, not only failing to issue an order for passengers to leave the ship but keeping to themselves the information that a rescue boat had arrived.
They took off their uniforms and changed into civilian clothes, aware that uniformed crew members should be the last to evacuate, prosecutors were quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
The death penalty is rarely applied in South Korea, where a moratorium has been in place since the last execution took place in late 1997. Currently, there are some 60 people on death row.
The 11 other crew members were indicted on less serious charges, including wrongfully steering the vessel, abandoning a ship and leaving passengers in a sinking boat without making efforts to rescue them, Yang said.
The Sewol was carrying 476 people when it sank off the southern coast on April 16 after listing sharply to one side. The confirmed death toll now stands at 284, with 20 still missing.
On Thursday, investigators addressed a number of theories on the causes of the disaster.
The 20-year-old ferry had instability problems after it underwent renovations to add more passenger cabins two years earlier, Yang said.
Its regular captain, who was off duty on the day of the accident, had earlier told prosecutors that the ferry operator -Chonghaejin Marine - "brushed aside" repeated warnings that the 20-year-old ship had stability issues following a renovation in 2017.
On the day it sank, the ship was carrying 2,142 metric tons of cargo, despite its maximum safety load being 1,077 tons, Yang said, and in order to meet the obligatory waterline, 1,308 tons of ballast water had been drained out.
When the ferry reached Maenggol Channel, notorious for fast currents, the captain was absent from the pilothouse, and a navigator and a helmsmen were in charge when it made a sharp turn, YTN TV said, citing investigators.
This caused its ill-secured cargo to shift, and the ferry to list irretrievably to one side before capsizing.
About the broadcaster:
Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.
远离室内空气污染的10个小贴士
体坛英语资讯:Chinas Zheng/Huang to defend mixed doubles title at badminton worlds final
想不起事情 闭上眼睛试一试
泰晤士河中拟建露天泳池:嬉水观景二者兼得
国际英语资讯:UK PM Johnson awaits judgement on parliament prorogation as EUs Juncker says Brexit deal p
美国国会议员对总统国情咨文褒贬不一
悲伤逆流成河:有种心痛叫欧美剧
职场匿名吐槽应用:不爽就要说出来
国内英语资讯:Interview: Mongolians reap tangible benefits from BRI humanitarian projects
救命应急:15种居家必备装置
囧研究 有权有势的人都是大吃货
伊丽莎白女王成为在世最长寿的君主
如果你的密码在这里就赶紧改了吧
日本网友买扇贝小吃 喜获珍珠
求职者注意:CV中莫用这些流行词
如何玩转Instagram 美国青少年支招
沟通能力:做一个会讲故事的人
国内英语资讯:China Focus: China publishes white paper on progress of womens cause in 70 years
维生素D为何能对抗结肠癌
创业前应该自问的20个问题
气候变化:一场我们必须打赢的比赛
国内英语资讯:(New China in 70 years) Economic Watch: Chinese SOEs rise from scratch to spotlight
单身狗有救了 虚拟完美男友来陪你
任性单卖白色 卖家年收入过百万
吃货新年福利:5种吃不胖的零食
有助于提升工作效率的16款工具
头发多长时间该剪一次?来听听专家的建议
英国男子患脸盲症 不识妻儿
好汉!伦敦街头西装哥勇斗珠宝抢匪
“隐形男友”App:让白马王子对你不离不弃
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |