An allegedly intoxicated Russian sailor with poor English skills has crashed a cargo ship into a bridge in South Korea.
The Russian-flagged Seagrand vessel created a five-meter hole when it rammed into the highway bridge in the port of Busan, Russian outlets reported Thursday, citing South Korean news media.
The detained captain of the 6,000-ton ship registered a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing the coast guard service.
No injuries were reported, but parts of the bridge were closed for precautionary reasons, it said.
“Authorities were also trying to determine why the ship was heading toward the bridge in the first place when it should have been going in the opposite direction,” Yonhap reported.
The captain ignored warnings from coast guards to change course because “he didn’t understand English well,” the RBC news website reported, citing other South Korean news media.
Less than an hour before damaging the bridge, Yonhap reported the Seagrand had also hit a cruise ship moored at the same port.
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