MATSUYAMA, Japan >> Relatives of six teenagers who survived a February collision between a Japanese fisheries training ship and a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine will quit a group seeking compensation, group sources said yesterday. Ehime Maru survivors’
families to quit group
seeking damagesKyodo News Service
Instead they will focus on helping the teens overcome post-traumatic stress disorder from the disaster.
The group consisted of families of eight high school students including two who were lost at sea in the collision off Hawaii.
The group appointed a team of lawyers last month with a view to filing a damages suit against the United States.
The victims' group has been critical of the Ehime prefectural government, saying it is acting in concert with the central government which they accuse of aiming for early settlement of the case rather than finding out the truth.
The father of one of the six survivors said he held a different view from the lawyers appointed by the group. He said he wants to give priority to taking care of his son rather than pursuing U.S. responsibility for the collision.
Compensation talks between the families of the 35 and the U.S. are currently being conducted by two groups.
It is not known whether the six families leaving will appoint their own set of lawyers in compensation talks.
Twenty-six families have opted to be represented by lawyers appointed by the prefectural government and are seeking an out-of-court settlement.
The remaining family has yet to decide its stance.
The 499-ton Ehime Maru was sunk by the 6,080-ton Greeneville in a collision off Hawaii during the sub's rapid surfacing demonstration for civilian guests aboard.
Altogether, 35 people -- 13 students, two teachers and 20 crew -- were aboard the ship Ehime Maru of Uwajima Fisheries High School in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan, at the time of Feb. 9 collision.
Four students, the two teachers and three crew members are missing and presumed dead.
