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April 24th, 2014
02:26 PM ET
Did heavy cargo lead to South Korean ferry disaster?
Jindo, South Korea (CNN) - A South Korean lawmaker said Thursday that renovations last year expanded the top floor of the Sewol, the ferry that sank last week, to make room for 117 more passengers.
Investigators want to know if the modifications made the ferry more likely to capsize.
Kim Yong-rok, an opposition lawmaker who represents Jindo, an island near where the ship sank, told CNN that the modifications raised the ferry's center of gravity.
Kim said the work on the ferry took place in 2013, after the Sewol was purchased from a Japanese company. The ferry's passenger capacity was expanded from 804 passengers to 921 passengers, he said.
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