North Korea initiates investigation into accident at warship launch

Pyongyang has said the incident on Wednesday was caused by a loss of balance while the vessel was being launched, and that sections of the bottom of the warship were crushed, News.Az reports, citing NBC News. An internal inspection found that there were no holes at the warship’s bottom, but the starboard hull was scratched and seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel, the report said. An internal inspection found that there were no holes at the warship’s bottom, but the starboard hull was scratched and seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel, the report said. The extent of damage was “not serious,” the report said, adding the investigation group was ordered to find the cause of the accident and those responsible for it. The report did not mention any injuries or deaths as a result of the accident. The isolated state’s leader, Kim Jong Un, who watched Wednesday’s launch of the 5,000-ton destroyer at the northeastern shipyard of Chongjin, berated it as a “criminal act” that could not be tolerated, according to state media. The mishap most likely occurred in front of a large crowd, increasing the public humiliation for Kim, military analysts said. South Korea‘s military said Thursday that the ship was lying on its side in the water.