Arrest warrant asked for sunken ferry captain

South Korean prosecutors have sought arrest warrants for the captain and two crew members of a ferry that sank two days ago with 475 people onboard, an official says.

The request for the arrest of Lee Joon-seok and two other crew members has been sent to a local court, an official in the southern coast guard headquarters in the city of Mokpo said on Friday.

“The joint investigation team of police and prosecutors asked for warrants to arrest three crew members, including the captain,” the official said.

The captain and most of the 28-member crew managed to abandon the South Korean passenger ship when so many people were still trapped onboard.

Reports show a junior officer and not the captain was at the helm of the ferry when the deadly accident occurred.

The 6,825-ton ferry, named Sewol, abruptly listed and then sank on Wednesday.

The captain apologized to the victims and their relatives on Thursday, but failed to offer a clear explanation for what caused the ship to go down.

Based on data provided by the Maritime Ministry, the ferry made a sharp turn just before sending out its first distress signals and some experts believe a tight turn could have displaced its cargo and destabilized the ferry.

So far, 28 passengers are officially listed as dead, 179 have been rescued and 268 are still missing.

Teams of divers are striving to find a way inside the inundated ship in hope of finding survivors trapped in air pockets, amid challenging weather conditions.