Helmsman’s phone distraction blamed for South Korean ferry grounding
All 267 passengers and crew were safely brought to a port after the vessel crashed on an uninhabited island in the country’s southwest
The passenger vessel was travelling from Jeju Island to the port city of Mokpo when it ran aground after 8pm (local time) on Wednesday, authorities said.
A preliminary investigation found that “the officer responsible for steering had been looking at his mobile phone and allowed autopilot to take control in an area where the ship should have been manually operated”, a Korea coastguard official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“As a result, the vessel missed the proper moment to change course, veered towards the uninhabited island and ran aground.”
The coastguard also arrested the first officer and an Indonesian crew member of the ferry for suspected gross negligence.
No serious injuries were reported, and 246 passengers were safely moved to a nearby port on rescue ships, the Ministry of Safety said in a statement.