A South Korean navy ship with about 100 personnel on board is sinking off the west coast near North Korea, possibly due to a torpedo attack, reports say.The ship was sinking near Baengnyeong island, Yonhap news agency quoted navy officials as saying.
It also said the South Korean ship had fired shots toward an unidentified ship from the North.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but a rescue operation was said to be under way, Yonhap reported.
The incident happened late on Friday night local time.
More from Yonhap news agency at 00:23 KST:
SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean Navy ship was sinking off the west coast near its maritime border with North Korea, officials here said Friday. Officials also said South Korea fired a shot at an unidentified vessel toward the North.
The 1,500-ton ship carrying 104 crew members went down around 9:45 p.m. near a South Korean island in the Yellow Sea, prompting an emergency meeting of security-related Cabinet ministers.
Seoul's Navy officials refused to give details, but said a South Korean vessel fired at a ship toward the North later in the evening, indicating possibilities of a possible torpedo attack from the North. Local residents reported having heard gunfire for about 10 minutes from 11 p.m.
"The ship appears to have begun sinking after an explosion at the rear of the ship," the Navy said in a statement. "We have been unable to find the exact cause of the incident as of this moment."
The Navy said it has rescued 58 crew members during an ongoing rescue operation, but fears some may have died.
North Korea has said in recent weeks it is bolstering its defense in response to joint South Korean-U.S. military drills that were held this month. The North Korean army conducted dozens of artillery firing drills earlier Friday, according to Seoul's military officials.
Not clear if it was a Nork attack or some dreadful accident on the ROK ship.
Update at 1430 CST: from the Guardian, mostly op-ed so big EFL:
Late last night, the South Korean patrol ship Cheonan suffered an explosion and sank. As of midnight Korean time, 58 of the 104 member crew of the Cheonan had been rescued. The cause of the sinking of the Cheonan, a 1,300 ton missile corvette, is as of yet unknown. However, the South Korean cabinet has convened an emergency meeting to deal with the situation, and some reports suggest that a North Korean torpedo may have struck the Cheonan.
Details remain sketchy, and at this point it is unclear whether Cheonan sank as the result of an attack, or because of an accidental explosion.
Given the number of survivors the SKors should be able to figure that out pretty quickly.
Another South Korean patrol ship reportedly fired on North Korean targets in the area. The area in which Cheonan sank has recently seen several skirmishes between North and South Korean forces. In January, patrol vessels from each nation exchanged gunfire with one another. A similar exchange in November resulted in severe damage to a North Korean vessel, and the death of a North Korean sailor. The disputed area involves several islands that are claimed by both sides. South Korea recognises a UN-drawn line of demarcation, while North Korea does not.
If Cheonan sank because of an accident, the incident will serve as an example of the challenges presented by high tension situations like that between North and South Korea. In such situations, a lack of information can lead to considerable danger, as both sides face pressure to react without having a grasp of the full situation. If, on the other hand, Cheonan was destroyed by a torpedo, the situation must be considered extremely grave. Forty-six crewmen at last report have yet to be accounted for, and are unlikely to survive long in cold Korean waters. South Korea cannot ignore a provocation of this magnitude, and will likely be forced to respond in some fashion. South Korea's navy substantially outmatches its North Korean counterpart, but the North Korean response to any South Korean retaliation remains uncertain.
The problem of discerning North Korean intentions complicates factors. It is possible that the North Korean government ordered the attack in order to provoke the South, but the attack may instead have been launched by lower level local commanders. Even if this were the case, however, it would be impossible for South Korea to divine genuine North Korean intentions.
The Cheonan is a Pohang-class corvette commissioned in 1989.