Boat collision in Budapest

This item appears on page 18 of the July 2019 issue.

A sightseeing boat carrying 33 South Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew on the Danube in Budapest, Hungary, collided with a Viking River Cruises boat on May 29 and sank. At least seven people were killed, with 21 still missing at press time. Only seven people were rescued, all South Koreans. No passengers or crew aboard the river cruise boat were injured.

Surveillance video shows the stricken boat, the Mermaid, was passing underneath the Margit (Margaret) Bridge when it appeared to turn and was struck by the larger Viking Sigyn, sinking in about seven seconds. The captain of the Sigyn was arrested on May 30 and charged with “reckless misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to mass casualties.”