Seven people have died and 21 are missing due to a collision between a cruise ship and a tour boat on the Danube river in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. The 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the cruise vessel has been detained by police.
Only seven of the 35 people on board, that included 33 South Koreans, have been rescued so far.
Specifically, the Hableány (Mermaid), a 27-meter (89-foot) double-decker tourist ship, collided with a Viking Cruises luxury cruiser, the 135-meter (443-foot) Viking Sigyn. The smaller tourist ship sank quickly, and the wreck was found on the bed of the river close to one of the pillars of Margaret Bridge.
Some bodies that were recovered were pulled out of the water several miles south of the bridge where the incident took place.
According to the authorities, those who are confirmed dead are from South Korea.
More than 200 divers and medical staff attended the scene, while also South Korea is also sending rescue workers, including some that aided in the Sewol disaster.
Concluding, the collision took place at 2100 hours, and the first emergency call to the police station was sent 10 minutes after the incident. Zsolt Gábor Palotai, Colonel Deputy Director of the Metropolitan Disaster Management Directorate, said that search and rescue was hampered by the river’s high water levels, darkness and rain. Water temperatures were about 10 to 12 degrees Celsius (50-53 degrees Fahrenheit).
