Seven South Korean tourists have died and another 21 people are missing after a boat sank on the Danube river in Budapest. Thirty South Korean tourists and three tour guides, as well as two Hungarian crew, were on the tour boat when it collided with another boat.
“There was a tragic boat accident at around 9pm [on Wednesday],” said Gábor Csató, the CEO of the Hungarian ambulance service, speaking from a makeshift emergency services command point on the riverbank. “We’ve put a huge effort into the rescue involving 17 ambulances, fire engines, police and boats, looking along both sides of the Danube.”
The incident occurred just after 21:00 local time on Wednesday. Seven people have been rescued and a large search operation is now taking place on the river. The heavy rainfall has led to strong currents on the Danube and the rescue teams have said there is little hope that they will find more survivors.
A criminal investigation has been launched.
The boat sank near the parliament building in central Budapest, it was named as the Hableany, or Mermaid.
The Hableany has two decks with a capacity of 45 people, it is a boat for sightseeing trips.
When the accident happened the current was so strong that some people had been found many miles downstream. One person was pulled from the water near Petőfi Bridge, around two miles downstream from the accident. Survivors were being treated in hospital for hypothermia.
Boats, divers, spotlights and radars have been in use to scan along the river. Rescue teams warned people that as more time passed, the strong currents would carry potential survivors further downstream, decreasing the chances of finding survivors. Emergency crews discovered the wreckage of the boat on the riverbed near the Margaret Bridge.
