8 May 2014

Ferry company head detained

10:03 pm on 8 May 2014

South Korean prosecutors have detained the head of the company that owns the ferry that sank last month, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing.

The Sewol sank on a routine trip south from Incheon to Jeju, a holiday island, on 16 April. Most of those who died were students and teachers from one high school on a field trip.

Prosecutors said chief executive Kim Han-sik could be charged with manslaughter over the overloading of the vessel with cargo.

Investigators have cited overloading as one of the probable main reasons why the ship quickly overturned and sank.