'Danube cruise tour lacked safety measures'

By Kang Seung-woo

In the wake of a sightseeing boat sinking in Hungary, Wednesday, there have been several claims from Koreans who have taken cruise tours there of insufficient safety measures for passengers.

A nighttime cruise on the Danube River is considered a must among Korean tourists visiting the scenic Hungarian capital of Budapest. In addition, they are often showcased on local TV programs, further boosting interest in the experience.

The “Hableany” sightseeing boat AP-Yonhap

However, according to some tourists, sightseeing boats were not equipped with lifejackets.

“I took a boat on the Danube at 10 p.m., but it had no safety devices. There were no lifeboats or lifejackets. I thought the vessel would not have been allowed to operate if it were in Korea,” a tourist, who took the cruise earlier this month, posted in an online community.

Another, who also traveled to Budapest this month, said, “Some 80 percent to 90 percent of the passengers on the vessel were Korean, but there was not even any guidance as to what to do in case of an emergency, let alone a lifejacket.”

The sightseeing ship carrying 33 Koreans on a package tour collided with a larger cruise boat and sank in the Danube at around 9 p.m. (local time), leaving seven dead and 21 missing, according to the foreign ministry. The remaining seven were rescued.

Lee Sang-moo, chief operating officer at Very Good Tour in charge of the tour program, said passengers are usually required to wear lifejackets.

However, the ministry said it confirmed the passengers were not wearing them.

A travel agency official said even though passengers are required to put on life vests, they usually do not because it is burdensome when they take pictures. And guides at the scene do not usually force them to wear them.

Most of the victims were tourists on holiday with their families, one of whom was a six-year-old girl, the travel agency said.

Thirty family travelers, one guide, another locally hired guide and a photographer were aboard the ship, along with two Hungarian crew members, according to the agency and the ministry.

“The tour group was comprised of nine families, with most people in their 40s and 50s ― although they also included a 72-year-old man as well as a six-year-old child,” Lee said in a media briefing at the agency headquarters hours after the accident.

Seven people have been rescued and moved to three nearby hospitals, but one is reportedly in critical condition.

Most of the passengers are from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, but eight are from Daejeon, Sejong and South Chungcheong Province. Four women aboard the vessel are from Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

The tourists left Incheon, Saturday, for a nine-day trip to two Baltic countries and four Eastern European ones. They were scheduled to return Sunday.