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Teacher questioned on negligence charges over deaths of 5 students

Police questioned a high school teacher on Saturday on charges of negligence over the drowning deaths of his five students off the country's western beach, police officials said.

The 49-year-old teacher, surnamed Kim, is suspected of negligence while overseeing nearly 200 students attending a summer camp in Taean Beach, about 150 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the officials.

Bodies of the five students were found this week after they were swept away on Thursday by a strong current when they walked into the sea as ordered by camp instructors, according to the police.    Still, the teacher was not physically detained by the police. He was not immediately reached for comment.

Also on Saturday, police raided the Seoul headquarters of a tour company that organized the three-day summer camp at the beach, according to the officials.

Meanwhile, bereaved family members called for punishment of those who are responsible for the accident and said they won't hold funeral ceremonies until the exact circumstance leading to the accident is determined. (Yonhap News)