Sailors, bodies from sunken ship handed over to north korea

Seoul, April 6 (IANS) South Korea handed over to North Korea three sailors and two bodies, rescued two days ago from its waters, after a Mongolia-flagged cargo ship sank in open waters off South Korea's southern coastal city of Yeosu Friday, Xinhua reported.

While three crew members were rescued and two bodies recovered from the waters, 11 others from the cargo vessel "Grand Fortune 1" have remained missing, South Korea's unification ministry said.

The ministry said that the three rescued sailors and the two bodies were handed over to North Korea at 2.05 p.m. Sunday through the border village of Panmunjeom.

The move came after Pyongyang asked for the repatriation of the rescued sailors and the bodies.

The 4,300-tonne cargo ship was heading to China from the North Korean city of Chongjin, carrying heavy oil and steel products.

--Indo-Asian News Service

bb/vt

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