South Korea begins salvage

South Korea started work yesterday to salvage a navy ship, the 1200-tonne Cheonan, that sank following a mysterious explosion near the sea border with North Korea, hours after ending its underwater hunt for dozens of sailors on board, officials said.

Families of the sailors asked the military to suspend the operation for fear of additional casualties among divers.

Officials said they stopped the underwater search out of respect for the families' request.