Overloading, illegal redesign led to South Korea ferry disaster: Officials
8 Oct 2014 5:11 AM IST
South Korean prosecutors said on Monday that a deadly combination of cargo overloading, illegal redesign and poor helmsmanship led to the April ferry disaster that claimed more than 300 lives, mostly schoolchildren. The coastguard’s botched initial response also contributed to the high death toll, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office (SPO) said, releasing the findings of a five-month-long probe into the disaster.
It backed charges and evidence presented at the ongoing murder trial of the vessel’s captain and crew that the Sewol ferry was overloaded with cargo and not carrying enough ballast to balance the vessel correctly.
Investigators also found that a redesign in 2012 to increase cargo capacity had impaired the ship’s stability, leaving it top heavy.
‘The ferry had lost its ability to maintain its balance,’ the SPO said. At the time of the incident, the 6,825-tonne Sewol was carrying 3,606 tonnes of freight and cars, more than three times its recommended maximum cargo. The poorly trained crew then made a sharper-than-recommended turn as the ship sailed through a strong current.
It backed charges and evidence presented at the ongoing murder trial of the vessel’s captain and crew that the Sewol ferry was overloaded with cargo and not carrying enough ballast to balance the vessel correctly.
Investigators also found that a redesign in 2012 to increase cargo capacity had impaired the ship’s stability, leaving it top heavy.
‘The ferry had lost its ability to maintain its balance,’ the SPO said. At the time of the incident, the 6,825-tonne Sewol was carrying 3,606 tonnes of freight and cars, more than three times its recommended maximum cargo. The poorly trained crew then made a sharper-than-recommended turn as the ship sailed through a strong current.
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