A passenger ferry crashed into a rocky island, causing all on board to be evacuated, because the first mate, who was in charge at the time, was distracted by his cellphone, coast guard officials said. The Queen Jenuvia II ran aground on rocks near the uninhabited South Korean island of Jogdo, sparking a massive rescue operation that saw all 267 crew and passengers evacuated following a direct order from the country’s president, Lee Jae Myung. Korean coast guard chief investigator Kim Hwang-gyun said the first mate, who was running the ship in the captain’s absence, was using his cellphone at the time of the crash, The New York Times reported. The coast guard also revealed that the ship’s first mate and a helmsman had been detained in connection with the incident and charged with gross negligence. “Whatever their testimonies so far, we’re looking at gross negligence,” Kim said. Passenger Kim Namhyun told Reuters said, “I thought I might die. The sound was too loud.”
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