Diver dies at S Korea
rescue site
A
South Korean military diver searching for survivors from a navy
ship that sank off North Korea has died.
The Military said the diver lost consciousness as he searched
wreckage of the Cheonan warship which sank after an explosion on
Friday.
Officials said they were working to ascertain the cause of
death.
Rescuers have been working to get inside the ship, which was
split in two by the blast.
Forty-six sailors are missing.
The cause of the explosion is not yet clear, but a senior
official has said it could have been a North Korean mine.
South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, visited Baengnyeong
Island, the scene of the wreck, and ordered the military onto
alert, saying: "Since the sinking took place at the front line,
the military should thoroughly prepare for any move by North
Korea.
Rescue Efforts
Fifty-eight crew members were rescued when the Cheonan went down
late on Friday.
Officials say they believe that some of the forty-six sailors
still missing could have survived in water-tight cabins in the
stern of the ship.
More than a dozen South Korean ships are involved in the rescue
effort, plus a US vessel.
The area has been the scene of deadly clashes between the navies
of the two Koreas in the past.
BBC/Williams
