Coastguard Centre News

The captain of the South Korean ferry that capsized off the southwest coast was facing a criminal investigation on Thursday, an official said, amid unconfirmed reports that he was one of the first people to jump to safety as the vessel began sinking. The Sewol ferry was carrying 475 passengers and crew when it capsized on Wednesday. The government has said nine people were found dead and 179 had been rescued, leaving about 290 people, most of them teenaged school children, missing and possibly trapped in the vessel. The captain, identified as Lee Joon-seok, 69, is being questioned by the coastguard and is the subject of a criminal investigation, a coastguard official said.

The Mekahnik Semakov which was carrying timber was drifting at the time, and the crew reported they needed an hour to fix their engine. The vessel was around 2.6 miles offshore from the at the time. The vessel was being constantly monitored from the Coastguard Centre on the Isle of Lewis on their automatic identification system (AIS) which reported the vessel drifting north eastwards at a rate of 0.3 knots. The The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Anglian Prince was sent to stand by the vessel whilst repairs were undertaken. The weather in the area was good at the time but increased winds were forecast as the day progressed.