7 dead, 21 missing after tour boat sinks in Hungary
A fire brigade rescue boat takes part in the search operations for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday following a collision of a hotel ship and a smaller sightseeing boat on the previous evening. ZOLTAN MATHE/MTI VIA AP
A woman throws a flower from the Margaret Bridge during a search operation on the River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019, following a collision of a hotel ship and a smaller cruise ship on the previous evening. The cruise ship sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. The shipwreck has been found at Margaret Bridge. (Balazs Mohai/MTI via AP)
A rescue ship at Margaret Bridge during a search operation on the River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019, following a collision of a hotel ship and a smaller cruise ship on the previous evening. The cruise ship sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. The shipwreck has been found at Margaret Bridge. (Balazs Mohai/MTI via AP)
A photograph of video footage that shows the two ships seconds before the collision on the River Danube during press briefing on the boat accident in the police headquarters in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019. On the previous evening a hotelship and a smaller cruise ship collided, and the latter sank with thirty-three passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. (Noemi Bruzak/MTI via AP)
A rescue boat searches for survivors on the River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A massive search was underway on the river for missing people after the sightseeing boat with 33 South Korean tourists sank after colliding with another vessel during an evening downpour. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh)
National disaster management rescue staff participate in a search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019, following a collision of a hotel ship and a smaller tourist cruise ship on the previous evening. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
Abrasive damage is visible on the Viking Sigyn hotelship on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019, following a collision of the hotelship and a sightseeing boat. A massive search was underway on the river for 21 people missing after the sightseeing boat with 33 South Korean tourists sank after colliding with another vessel during an evening downpour. (Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
A woman standing takes a picture at Margit Bridge, where the wreck of a sightseeing boat was found on the Danube River, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A massive search was underway on the river for missing people after the sightseeing boat with 33 South Korean tourists sank after colliding with another vessel during an evening downpour. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh)
A woman standing looks at Margit Bridge, where the wreck of a sightseeing boat was found on the Danube River, in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A massive search was underway on the river for missing people after the sightseeing boat with 33 South Korean tourists sank after colliding with another vessel during an evening downpour. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh)
South Korean Embassy personnel help identifying the victims of an accident during a search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A massive search was underway on the Danube River in downtown Budapest for missing people after a sightseeing boat with 33 South Korean tourists collided with another vessel and sank during an evening downpour.(Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)
Ships conduct a search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019, as a sightseeing boat collided with another vessel and capsized Wednesday night. The cruise ship sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
A fire brigade rescue boat takes a part in the search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30 2019, as a sightseeing boat collided with another vessel and capsized Wednesday night. The cruise ship sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
A fire brigade rescue boat takes part in the search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30 2019, as a sightseeing boat collided with another vessel and capsized Wednesday night. The cruise ship sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
National disaster management rescue staff participate in a search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30 2019, following a collision of a hotel ship and a smaller tourist cruise ship on the previous evening. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
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National disaster management rescue staff participate in a search operation for survivors on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, May 30, 2019, following a collision of a hotel ship and a smaller tourist cruise ship on the previous evening. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
Police officers stand on a landing dock early Thursday, May 30, 2019 after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat in River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, late Wednesday, May 29. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
Police officers stand on a landing dock early Thursday, May 30, 2019 after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat in River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, late Wednesday, May 29. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
A rescue boat searches of victims after a tourist boat crashed with another ship late Wednesday, May 29, 2019. The boat capsized and sunk in the Danube River Wednesday evening, May 29, 2019, in Budapest, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)
Lee Sang-moo, senior official of The Very Good Tour agency, top center, speaks during a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Rescuers and police officers inspect the River Danube from a landing dock after a tourist boat crashed with another ship late Wednesday, May 29, 2019. The boat capsized and sunk in the Danube River Wednesday evening, May 29, 2019, in Budapest, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)
The Very Good Tour agency senior official Lee Sang-moo, left, bows to make an apology during a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The Very Good Tour agency senior official Lee Sang-moo, right, speaks during a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The Very Good Tour agency senior official Lee Sang-moo, center, arrives to hold a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Members of the South Korean embassy Budapest staff talk with police officers on the river bank in Budapest early Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest.(Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)
A rescue boat searches for victims late Wednesday, May 29, 2019, after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat, in River Danube in Budapest. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported.(Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
Employees of Very Good Tour Co. talk on the phones at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. The tourists are confirmed to have been on a package tour to Hungary sold by the travel agency. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A woman moves past a gate of the headquarters of Very Good Tour Co. in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. The South Korean tourists are confirmed to have been on a package tour to Hungary sold by the travel agency. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A man stands in front of a gate of the headquarters of Very Good Tour Co. in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean passengers and two crew members collided with another vessel and sank in the Danube River in downtown Budapest. The South Korean tourists are confirmed to have been on a package tour to Hungary sold by the travel agency. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Police officers stand on a landing dock early Thursday, May 30, 2019 after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat in River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, late Wednesday, May 29. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
Police and ambulances are parked on the river bank early Thursday, May 30, 2019 after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat in River Danube in Budapest, Hungary. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported.(Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI via AP)
A rescue boat searches for victims late Wednesday, May 29, 2019, after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat, in River Danube in Budapest. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
A rescue boat searches for victims late Wednesday, May 29, 2019, after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat, in River Danube in Budapest. The boat capsized and sunk in the river Wednesday evening, with dozens of people on board, including passengers and crew, Hungarian media reported. (Peter Lakatos/MTI via AP)
Kang Hyung-sik, head of South Korean Foreign Ministry response team, speaks during a briefing at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 30, 2019. A tour agency says the family members of seven South Koreans killed during a boat capsizing in Budapest will fly to the Hungarian capital as early as Thursday night. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Rescue workers scoured the Danube River in downtown Budapest Thursday for 21 people missing after a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists sank in a matter of seconds after colliding with a larger cruise ship during an evening downpour.
Seven people are confirmed dead and seven were rescued, all of them South Koreans, Hungarian officials said. Police launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
The South Korea-based Very Good Tour agency, which organized the trip, said the boat — a 70-year-old vessel built in the former Soviet Union — had been on its way back after an hour-long night tour on Wednesday evening when the accident happened.
Nineteen South Koreans and two Hungarian crew members — the captain and his assistant — are missing. The tour party had consisted of 30 tourists, two guides and a photographer on a package tour of Europe. Pal Gyorfi, spokesman for the National Ambulance Service, said those rescued were hospitalized in stable condition.
The sunken boat was located early Thursday near the Margit Bridge, not far from the neo-Gothic Parliament building on the riverbank.
Video displayed by Hungarian police showed the sightseeing boat, identified as the Hableany (Mermaid), traveling closely side by side and in the same direction as the Viking cruise ship as they approached the bridge Wednesday night.
The Hableany then appeared to steer slightly to its left, into the path of the cruise ship, which continued to sail on at the same speed. The two collided and the sightseeing boat was then seen tipping on its side between the bridge’s two supports.
“As the Viking comes into contact with (the Hableany), it overturns it and in about seven seconds, as it turn on its side, it sinks,” Police Col. Adrian Pal said.
Pal said it’s unclear what caused the Hableany to steer into the path of the Viking. He said several people aboard the Hableany fell into the water after the collision. The South Korean government said none of those on board was wearing a life jacket.
Police said rescue operations were hampered by the rain and the fast flow of the rising Danube. The search for the 21 missing extended far downstream, even into Serbia, where the Danube goes after leaving Hungary.
Budapest’s Disaster Management Office Chief Col Zsolt Gabor Palotai said the Hungarian army is setting up a pontoon near the capsized ship’s wreck and divers will go into the Danube from there.
Police have questioned the Ukrainian captain of the Viking, but no details have been released. Authorities said both vessels’ captains are experienced, with many years of service with their companies.
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