Sailors involved in ferry grounding apologize ahead of court hearing

The first mate, center, accused of accidentally grounding a ferry carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members off the southeast coast early this week answers questions from reporters as he and the helmsman, fifth from left, appear for questioning at the Gwangju District Court's Mokpo branch, Saturday. Yonhap

The first mate and helmsman suspected of accidentally grounding a ferry early this week appeared at a court hearing Saturday.

The two crewmen, both in their 40s, were detained by the Coast Guard, Thursday, on suspicion that they were reponsible for the grounding of a 26,546-ton ferry carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members off the southwestern coast by not properly steering the ferry while on duty.

After arriving at the Gwangju District Court's Mokpo branch, some 310 kilometers south of Seoul, for the hearing on their arrest warrant, the first mate said he was "very sorry for causing harm to the passengers."

He added that he feels "especially sorry" for a pregnant woman who was among the 30 passengers injured and had to undergo hospital treatment.

Addressing suspicions that the first mate looked at his phone during the time of the accident, he said he briefly checked Naver, an internet portal site, but manually controlled the ferry during course changes.

The helmsman of Indonesian nationality did not comment on questions from reporters.