Police in Hungary arrested the captain of the luxury river cruise liner, Viking Sigyn, after the ship collided with a boat full of South Korean tourists that quickly sank, killing at least seven people and leaving 21 still missing.
According to The Associated Press, the Viking Sigyn was sailing down the Danube River Wednesday night when it struck a vessel called the Hableany, which means Mermaid, causing it to sink in around seven seconds.
Seven South Korean tourists have died and another 21 people are missing after a boat sank on the Danube river in Budapest
A criminal investigation has been launched
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The Mermaid was carrying 33 South Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew members when it was struck by the Viking River Cruises ship. Instead of examining the damage and assisting in the rescue of the victims, the Viking Sigyn failed to stop after the accident.
As a result, local police arrested the 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn, identified only as Yuriy C, on suspicion of endangering water transport leading to a deadly mass accident.
Authorities have described the captain as an experienced sailor and have launched a full investigation into the incident.
Search teams on the scene found the wreckage of the Hableany on the riverbed near the Margaret Bridge. The hunt for the missing victims was also expanded to 20 miles downstream, as the heavy flooding has caused water in the river to move around seven miles per hour.
One victim’s body was discovered over seven miles downstream just under three hours after the collision due to the flow of the river. The group of South Korean tourists was on a 13-day package tour through eastern Europe and the Balkan states.
