‘Sea traffic controllers probed over S. Korea ferry’
S U South orean prosecutors raided the offices of state sea traffic controllers, media reports said yesterday, as part of a widening pro e into a ferry disaster that left dead or missing.
he move is the latest in an investigation whose scope is roadening as officials scurry to assuage mounting pu lic anger over the pril tragedy and the su se uent rescue efforts.
arlier yesterday, rime inister hung ong- won fell on his sword, the most high- profile resignation so far, after admitting he had not een a le to prevent the accident or deal ade uately with its aftermath.
rosecutors are already holding all surviving crew mem ers who were responsi le for sailing the vessel. hey face charges ranging from criminal negligence to a andoning passengers.
esterday, prosecutors raided the office of the staterun essel raffic Services S center in the southern island of eju, Yonhap news agency and other media reported. he S is to shipping what air traffic controllers are to aircraft.
iting prosecutors wor - ing on the case, the reports added the S center on the island of indo the closest it of land to the wrec was also eing pro ed.
he , - ton ferry was communicating with the two centers primarily with indo for a out minutes as it rapidly eeled over and san , trapping around people inside.
he odies of of the dead have een recovered, while teams of divers are still searching for a further .
nvestigators have sei ed records of the S radio communication with the Sewol and surveillance video footage from oth centers,
Yonhap said.
transcript of the communication etween the ferry and the indo center released earlier revealed panic and indecision among crew and sea traffi c controllers in the crucial fi nal moments, with neither a le to ma e the call to evacuate passengers.
usinesses connected to ferry operator honghaejin arine ompany have also een raided over accusations of corruption, and travel ans are in place for eight current and former e ecutives of the orea Register of Shipping the ody responsi le for issuing marine safety certificates.