South Korean defense minister: Torpedo likely sank warship

[Bluebear]

Source: AP

SEOUL, South Korea – An explosion from a torpedo likely sank a South Korean warship that went down near the tense border with North Korea last month, the South's defense minister said Sunday amid growing speculation Pyongyang may be behind the blast.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said the most likely cause of the disaster was a torpedo exploding near the ship, with the force of the underwater blast ripping the vessel apart. He did not speculate on who may have fired it.

Also Sunday, investigators who examined the front part of the ship said that a close-range, external explosion likely sank it.

Seoul has not directly blamed North Korea for the blast, but suspicion remains given the country's history of provocation and attacks on the South. Local media have increasingly been speculating the disaster was due to a North Korean attack.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100425/ap_on_re_as/as_skorea_ship_sinks