Stern of Sunken Warship Located

Searchers have found the stern section of a South Korean warship that was torn apart by a mystery blast near the North Korean border and divers will try to reach it later Monday, AFP reported, quoting the South Korean military.

A successful dive would provide clues about the fate of 46 missing crewmen and about the cause of the blast which sent the 1,200-tonne corvette to the bottom of the West Sea Friday night.

Military divers will try at 2:00 p.m. to reach the stern portion of the 88-meter (290-foot) Cheonan, where most of the missing are believed located following one of the country's worst maritime disasters.

The ship sank near the Northern Limit Line, the scene of deadly naval clashes with North Korea in 1999 and 2002 and of a firefight last November. Seoul officials say there is no evidence so far Pyongyang was involved in Friday's blast.

The front portion was located over the weekend. But divers had to postpone attempts to reach it due to strong currents, poor visibility and high waves, stirring anger among families of the missing who demanded swifter salvage efforts.

The stern section was located by sonar late Sunday, the military said. The two sections are some 230 meters apart and divers Monday will try to reach both.

"The rapid currents and poor visibility under the sea are the biggest stumbling block," Lee Ki-Shik, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was quoted as saying. "We plan to do the rescue work in the belief that there could be still survivors both in the stern and the bow," Lee said, adding underwater cameras would soon be lowered.

A second attempt to dive on the wreck would be made at 8:00 p.m. Monday, with dive times determined by tides and currents. The stern is 40 meters underwater.

A total of 58 crewmen were saved soon after the Cheonan went down south of Baengnyeong island, but no one has been rescued since then despite a major air and sea search.

천안함 함미 발견 … 실종자 본격 수색

천안함 침몰 나흘째인 29일 함미 부분의 정확한 위치가 확보돼 날 오후부터 본격적인 실종자 수색에 들어갈 예정이다.

수색이 성공적으로 이루어질 경우 실종된 46명의 생사와 폭발원인에 대한 단서가 나올지 귀추가 주목되고 있다.

군 잠수부들은 이날 오후 2시 대부분의 실종자들이 있을 것으로 보이는 함미 부분에 접근을 시도한다.

합참 이기식 공보실장은 급류와 시계 불량이 가장 큰 장애물''이라면서 ``아직 생존자가 있을 것이라는 희망을 갖고 수색 작업을 할 것''이라고 말했다.