SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean official says an external explosion most likely sank a South Korean naval ship three weeks ago with more than a hundred crew members on board.
Chief investigator Yoon Duk-Yong told reporters today there’s a “high possibility” the explosion that split the ship in two came from outside the vessel.
South Korea lifted part of a warship from the sea Thursday nearly three weeks after it mysteriously exploded and sank with dozens of sailors trapped inside. Salvage workers found the bodies of 36 crew members in the retrieved vessel.
Fifty-eight crew members were rescued shortly after the 1,200-ton Cheonan split into two pieces March 26 during a patrol near North Korea. So far, 38 bodies have been recovered. Eight sailors remain unaccounted for.
