'Torpedo sank warship'

A torpedo attack is among the "most likely" causes of the sinking of a South Korean warship near the disputed border with North Korea, the Defence Minister said last night.

"A bubble jet caused by a heavy torpedo [attack] is thought to be one of the most likely things to be blamed, but various other possibilities are also under review," Defence Minister Kim Tae Young said.

Several unidentified sources have been quoted in recent days as saying an underwater explosion was the cause of the sinking, but Kim is the first minister to make the link explicitly since a probe into the sinking began.