S. Korea dispatches rescue fleet to site of sinking vessel near the DPRK border

The South Korean President has dispatched a fleet of ships to the site of a capsized naval ship. Late Friday, a South Korean vessel, with 104 sailors on board, began sinking in waters near the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 40 crew members remain missing.

Lee Gi-Sik, South Korean Brigadier General, said, "Our naval ship was damaged by an unidentified cause and it is sinking. Now, 58 people have been rescued from 104 abroad and our patrolling ship is conducting a rescue operation at the accident scene."

The 1,200-ton vessel, which was on a routine patrol mission, sank near a South Korean island in the nation's west coast. President Lee Myung-bak immediately convened an emergency meeting with security officials in Seoul. The exact cause of the incident was not immediately clear. The turn of events followed an explosion in the back of the ship. A second South Korean naval vessel then fired at an unspecified target toward the north in response. Local media reports have stated that several sailors were killed.

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