Survivors describe ordeal after explosion sank South Korean navy ship

Survivors of sunken SKorean ship describe ordeal

SEOUL, South Korea — Survivors from a South Korean naval ship that sank after a mysterious explosion publicly recounted their ordeal for the first time Wednesday, describing how the deafening blast interrupted a routine patrol near the disputed border with North Korea.

Fifty-eight of the 104 sailors on board the 1,200-ton Cheonan were rescued soon after the accident. No other survivors have been found, but divers recovered the body of one crewman Saturday.

No cause for the disaster has been determined. South Korean officials have said they will examine all possibilities, including that the ship might have been hit by a floating mine or a torpedo from North Korea.

“I heard a loud boom, and felt my body being instantly lifted up in the air,” Senior Chief Petty Officer Oh Seong-tak told a news conference. “The noise was so loud that my ears hurt.”

Oh, who was in his bunk on the vessel’s lowest level at the time of the blast, said he grabbed at everything around him to feel his way out, and then realized the door was at his feet. “The vessel tilted at a 90-degree angle immediately after the explosion,” he said.

Sailors said the blast felt like it came from outside the ship, but did not comment on speculation of possible North Korean involvement. The Cheonan sank in the Yellow Sea near the contested western sea border — a scene of three bloody inter-Korean naval battles since 1999.

The sailors said there were no unusual signs before the explosion. They said there was no smell of gunpowder after the blast, only oil.

Media speculation about the cause of the accident has been intense. The government, however, has urged calm and said the cause can only be determined after remains of the ship are salvaged and thoroughly examined.

All of the sailors who appeared at the news conference, held at a military hospital near Seoul, wore hospital gowns except for the captain, who appeared in uniform. Some wore back braces and some were in wheelchairs or on crutches.

The 45 missing sailors have not been declared dead. However, search operations were called off Saturday at the request of family members after a navy diver died.

Capt. Choi Won-il, who mostly sat with his eyes closed and lips pursed as his men spoke, said he hopes the missing are still alive and is waiting for the day they can return to duty.

“Please understand the situation as it is,” Choi said, wiping away tears with his sleeve. “My men, who I feel are by my side, are deep in my heart.”

Efforts to recover the ship began earlier this week. Last week, a South Korean fishing boat that participated in search operations disappeared. Two aboard that vessel died and seven others are missing.