An “external explosion” probably sank the South Korean naval vessel which went down near North Korean waters last month, an investigator says.“The possibility of an external explosion is far higher than that of an internal explosion,” Yoon Duk-yong told a news conference in Seoul.
He was speaking after the stern section of the ship was raised from the seabed on Thursday.
Fifty-eight crew survived, but more than 40 sailors died.
It is thought their bodies are trapped in the shattered hull of the Cheonan, a 1,200-tonne navy gunboat, which sank in mysterious circumstances three weeks ago.
Officials are trying to determine the cause of the explosion; reasons range from an accident to attack from the North.
The Cheonan sank close to the sea border which marks North and South Korean territorial waters.
South Korea has been careful not to level any direct accusations against the North, but it is also very clearly not ruling out the possibility that the ship was attacked, reports the BBC’s John Sudworth, in Seoul.
President Lee Myung-bak has called for an objective investigation, the findings of which must be beyond dispute, followed by “stern measures” against whoever was to blame.
North Korea has made no official comment on the incident.
It does not accept the maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line, which was drawn unilaterally by the US-led United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War.
The sea border has been the scene of deadly clashes between the navies of the two Koreas in the past.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.