Families of Hungary disaster victims leave for Budapest

Family members of Korean victims prepare to leave for Hungary at Incheon International Airport, Thursday. Yonhap

The first group of families of South Korean victims of a boat accident in Hungary left for the eastern European country early Friday to receive updates on the situation.

Ten family members of the victims departed for Hungary, with officials from the tour agency that organized the group trip. They are among 50 people who will head to Budapest during the day.

"Some family members heard about the tragedy belatedly as they were at school or work. They are in a state of shock," said an official at the tour agency, Verygoodtour.

Seven South Koreans died and 19 others went missing after a tourist boat carrying them capsized in a river in Budapest late Wednesday (local time),

The accident occurred amid heavy rain when a larger cruise vessel collided with the boat carrying a total of 33 Koreans and two Hungarian crew members in the Danube River in downtown Budapest.

Rescue operations are under way for the second straight day. No additional survivors have yet been found.

Mourners expressed their condolences to the victims by putting flowers and candles on a riverside near a bridge near the accident scene. (Yonhap)

Yonhap