Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Emergency medical crew take the injured to ambulances after a mooring rope on a Navy destroyer snapped, killing one and injuring four in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Yonhap |
By Kim Hyun-bin
One Navy sailor was killed and four others were injured after a mooring rope snapped on a destroyer returning home from an overseas deployment.
The accident occurred at a naval base in the southern port city of Jinhae, when the mooring rope that connected the 4,400-ton Choi Young destroyer to the dock snapped, according to the Navy. The cause of the accident is unknown.
"The sailors seem to have been injured when the rope hit them as it suddenly snapped," a naval officer said.
A welcoming ceremony was taking place consisting of 800 people including family members and high-ranking naval officials to mark the safe return of the vessel and 190 sailors from their six-month deployment.
The crew was part of the Cheonghae Unit that was deployed to the Gulf of Aden to protect international vessels from pirates and conduct anti-piracy missions off the Somali coast.
This was the unit's 28th deployment.
According to the Navy, the five were taken to a nearby hospital but one died while receiving treatment.
"Currently, the military is investigating the cause of the accident. One of the four that was injured has left the hospital; for the deceased we will take appropriate measures under related regulations," a Navy official said.
The Cheonghae Unit was first deployed in March 2009, as part of international efforts to help ensure safe passage of ships through the pirate-ridden gulf.
The 28th Cheonghae Unit was deployed in November and helped secure the safety of 596 vessels that passed by the Gulf of Eden and conducted 30 escort missions for international vessels during the 193-day deployment.
