Australians to join probe into S.Korea warship sinking

[maddezmom]

Source: AFP

Australians to join probe into S.Korea warship sinking
(AFP) – 8 hours ago

SEOUL — Three Australian experts were to arrive Tuesday to join an international investigation into the mystery sinking of a South Korean warship near the North Korean border, the defence ministry said.

Seven US and 123 South Korean experts are already probing the March 26 blast which broke a 1,200-tonne corvette in two with the loss of 46 lives.

Britain and Sweden have also been asked to join the probe.

A huge naval crane Monday moved the submerged stern to shallower water in the Yellow Sea to make it easier eventually to hoist the wreckage onto a barge.



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[pampango]

1. It should be easy to determine if it was an internal or external blast by viewing the damage.

"Survivors have said a big external blast tore the ship apart, discounting theories that an explosion on board or a grounding sank the vessel." Sounds like the survivors believe it was external.

If the blast was external, I wonder if it is possible to determine whether it was caused by a mine or a torpedo. A mine would be less intentional and provocative (it could even have been a South Korean mine that drifted), while a torpedo is intentional and provocative.

I hope that Sweden and the UK are allowed to join the investigation. The final conclusion will be more credible with their, particularly Sweden's, involvement.