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S Korea leader visits rescue site Diver dies at S Korea rescue site
(about 1 hour later)
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has visited an area off the North Korean coast where a South Korean warship sank after an explosion. A South Korean military diver searching for survivors from a navy ship that sank off North Korea has died.
Forty-six sailors are missing after the navy ship went down on Friday near the disputed inter-Korean border. The diver lost consciousness as he searched wreckage of the Cheonan warship which sank after an explosion on Friday, the military said.
Officials say they believe there could be survivors trapped in cabins and have injected oxygen into parts of the hull. Rescuers have been working to get inside the ship, 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.The cause of the explosion is not yet clear, but a senior official has said it could have been a North Korean mine.
Early on Tuesday, Mr Lee 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." South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the scene of the wreck on Tuesday, flying in by helicopter to Baengnyeong island near the disputed inter-Korean border.
He then flew to Baengnyeong Island, 16km (10 miles) from the North Korean coast, to see the rescue efforts. He also 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."
Swift currents Dangerous waters
Fifty-eight crew members were rescued when the Cheonan went down late on Friday.Fifty-eight crew members were rescued when the Cheonan went down late on Friday.
So far, swift currents have prevented divers from gaining access to the ship, which split in two. Divers who knocked on the hull on Monday received no response. Officials say they believe that some of the 46 sailors still missing could have survived in water-tight cabins in the stern of the ship.
Teams used a hose to inject oxygen into the stern via a crack and officials said they expected to make more progress on Tuesday.
More than a dozen South Korean ships are involved in the rescue effort, plus a US vessel.More than a dozen South Korean ships are involved in the rescue effort, plus a US vessel.
On Monday, Defence Minister Kim Tae-young said the blast could have been caused by a mine laid by the North during the 1950-53 Korean War. The diver who died was one of dozens brought in to try to gain access to the wreckage. Officials said they were working to ascertain the cause of death.
A navy spokesman said the divers were working in "a very vicious environment" with swift currents and murky visibility.
"Our goal is to get into the ship and find any survivors but at the moment it is extremely hard to do so," the navy spokesman said.
On Monday teams used a hose to inject oxygen into the stern via a crack, but divers who knocked on the hull received no response.
The cause of the blast that sank the ship remains unclear.
Defence Minister Kim Tae-young has said the blast could have been caused by a mine laid by the North during the 1950-53 Korean War.
He said it could also have been a mine that the communist state intentionally sent floating towards the South Korean vessel.He said it could also have been a mine that the communist state intentionally sent floating towards the South Korean vessel.
But an internal malfunction has not been ruled out and military officials said establishing the cause of the blast might have to wait until the ship is salvaged.But an internal malfunction has not been ruled out and military officials said establishing the cause of the blast might have to wait until the ship is salvaged.
Pyongyang has made no official comment on the incident.Pyongyang has made no official comment on the incident.
It does not accept the maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line, which was drawn unilaterally by the US-led United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War.It does not accept the maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line, which was drawn unilaterally by the US-led United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War.
The area has been the scene of deadly clashes between the navies of the two Koreas in the past.The area has been the scene of deadly clashes between the navies of the two Koreas in the past.