NO MORE CREWMEN OF SUNKEN SHIP FOUND

[Anchor Lead]

It has been 6 days since the Cheongbo capsized in waters off Sinan-gun county. A search operation was carried out after flipping the vessel to its original position, and yet no traces of missing crewmen were found.

[Pkg]

While draining water from the sunken ship, the Coast Guard conducted a search operation for missing crewmembers around the Cheongbo. However, the four missing crewmen were not found during the overnight search. After finishing the drainage work early Thursday morning, the Coast Guard sent in rescue workers to comb through the ship. But no traces of the missing sailors were discovered. Therefore, the Coast Guard plans to conduct sweeping search operations near the sinking site by mobilizing private fishing boat, and its vessels and airplanes. It will send surveillance cameras, GPS devices and engine monitors it obtained during the searches to the National Forensic Service for precise analysis. Operations to move the capsized ship from Soheosado Island began at 8:40 a.m. Thursday. After the vessel is relocated to a shipyard in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do Province, a precise probe will be conducted to identify the cause of its sinking. Considering the current pace, it will likely take some ten hours for the ship to arrive at the Mokpo shipyard. However, this could change depending on weather conditions. A coast guard patrol ship is now escorting the crane barge to be prepared for emergencies like a breakdown. Once the Cheongbo arrives in Mokpo, rescue workers will go over the ship in search for the other missing crewmembers.