N Korea mine ‘may have sunk ship’

A NORTH Korean mine may have caused the explosion that sank a South Korean naval ship near a disputed maritime border, the defence minister told lawmakers yesterday.

Defence Minister Kim Tae-young said military authorities have not ruled out North Korean involvement in the sinking of the Cheonan, which split apart within minutes of an explosion in the rear hull on Friday, according to the ship’s captain.

Fifty-eight crew members were rescued from the Yellow Sea waters near Baengnyeong Island west of Seoul, but 46 others are missing, most likely inside a rear segment of the ship, military officials said. Divers knocking on the stern with hammers got no response yesterday, military officials said.