Too much cargo contributed to sinking, police say
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Not including the diver, the disaster's death toll rises to 269
Loosely tied goods helped cause the ship to capsize, investigators say
Ferry carried more than twice the cargo weight it was allowed, police say
Diver dies during recovery operation Tuesday
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The South Korean ferry disaster that killed more than 260 people last month was caused in part by excessive cargo and a failure to tie that cargo down properly, the joint police and prosecuting team investigating the disaster said Tuesday.
It marked the first time South Korean investigators said what they believe led to the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol, which was carrying 467 passengers and crew -- including more than 300 high school students on a field trip -- when it capsized.
Investigators said they've indicted four employees of the ferry's owner, Cheonghaejin Marine Co., in the last two weeks, including a senior executive Tuesday. Details about the charges weren't immediately available.
Authorities took aim at the cargo Tuesday, saying its weight was more than double the ship's limit.
The cargo wasn't tied properly -- and the loosely tied goods helped cause the ship to capsize, senior prosecutor Yang Joong-jin said.
"The lashing devices that should have held cargo goods steady were loose, and some of the crew members did not even know" how to use them correctly, Yang said.
Investigators had been probing the possibility the ship overturned because cargo shifted and forced the ship off balance.
At least 269 people died in the disaster, which happened while the ferry was traveling from Incheon to the resort island of Jeju, off South Korea's southwestern coast. Thirty-five people still are unaccounted for, according to the country's coast guard.
Officials: Firm got $2.9 million for extra cargo since '13
Tuesday's news came nearly a week after South Korean authorities searched Cheonghaejin Marine's offices as part of a criminal investigation.
This trip wasn't the first time the ferry had excess cargo, the joint investigation team said Tuesday.
Since the Sewol began the Incheon-Jeju route in March 2013, the ferry carried excess cargo 139 times, investigators said.
Cheonghaejin Marine earned an extra 62 million South Korean won ($62,000) for the excess cargo on the April 16 voyage, and nearly 3 billion South Korean won ($2.9 million) in extra profit for all of the excess cargo that the ferry carried since March 2013, investigators said.
Diver dies as search for bodies continues
The grim task of retrieving bodies from the sunken ferry was dealt a painful blow Tuesday when an experienced diver lost consciousness and died.
But the nearly 130 divers continued combing the ship despite the loss of their colleague, identified as Lee. His full name was not provided.
Five minutes into his dive, he apparently had problems with his oxygen supply.
"By the time his colleagues went to save him, Lee was unconscious and unable to breathe by himself," government spokesman Koh Myung-suk said.
Lee had been diving for 30 years, officials said.
Since the first day when many escaped the sinking ship, no one has been found alive.
Over the weekend, South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited the port where the rescue operation is based to console families and encourage divers.
Corralling the debris has been difficult for search teams.
Mattresses and clothing from the ship have been found up to 9 miles (15 kilometers) away from the accident site, said Park Seung-ki, a spokesman for the rescue operation.
Large stow and trawler nets will be set up around the sunken ship to catch items that may float away, he said. At the same time, some three dozen ships will be clearing an oil spill from the ferry, which is threatening the livelihood of the local fishermen.
By Stella Kim, Jason Hanna and Ed Payne, CNN
May 7, 2014 -- Updated 1153 GMT (1953 HKT)
タイ 首相失職で対立先鋭化懸念5月8日 4時34分 反政府デモが続くタイで、インラック首相が憲法裁判所の判決で失職となったことに政権の支持者は反発を強めていて、近く大規模な抗議行動を行う予定で、勢いづくデモ隊との対立が先鋭化することが懸念されています。
タイの憲法裁判所は７日、インラック首相が３年前に行った政府高官の人事について、親族を国家警察本部の長官に就けるために不当に介入したとして憲法違反だとする判決を出し、インラック首相は、人事に関わった９人の閣僚と共に失職しました。
これを受けて政権側は、二ワットタムロン副首相が首相の職務を代行し、残る閣僚が当面、職務を継続することになり、８日、今後の対応を協議することにしています。また、政権の支持者たちは今回の憲法裁判所の判決に反発を強めていて、１０日、大規模な抗議行動を行う予定です。
これに対し、反政府デモ隊を率いるステープ元副首相は７日夜、演説し、「首相がいない政権はもはや政府とは呼べない」と述べて、改めて政権の退陣と政治改革を求め、９日に大規模なデモを行うことを明らかにしました。
タイではことし２月の議会選挙が憲法裁判所の判断で無効となり、７月にやり直しの選挙が行われる見通しですが、首相の失職に反発する政権の支持者と勢いづくデモ隊との対立が先鋭化することが懸念されています。
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