Surviving sailors of the sunken navy ship Cheonan carry the portraits of the deceased sailors of the vessel during the funeral ceremony at the Second Fleet Command of Navy on Thursday in Pyeongtaek.(CNN) -- The South Korean navy held a funeral Thursday for 46 sailors killed or left missing when a ship sank in waters near North Korea, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The March 26 incident has sparked tensions between the two Koreas, as some have wondered if North Korea had a hand in the sinking of the ship. North Korea has denied any involvement.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was among the thousands of mourners at the mass funeral at a naval base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) south of Seoul, Yonhap reported.
Lee placed a medal in front of the portraits of the 46 sailors during the ceremony, the news agency reported.
The incident is being investigated.
The ship sank in the Yellow Sea near the western sea border with North Korea.
Forty of the ship's 104 crew members have been confirmed dead, and six more are believed dead, though they are still listed as missing.
Fifty-eight others were rescued before the vessel sank.
A team of South Korean military and civilian investigators tentatively concluded this week that an explosion at close range, and not a direct hit, caused the 1,200-ton patrol ship to go down.
South Korea has not ruled out a theory that North Korea was involved. But Seoul has avoided directly blaming North Korea.
A U.S. military official said Monday that he believes a North Korean torpedo attack was the most likely cause for the sinking.
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