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| Families of victims of a boat accident in Hungary walk to the departure area at Incheon International Airport, Friday, to head for the country to meet surviving victims and grasp the exact situation of the rescue operation for those still missing. /Yonhap |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The travel agency running the tour program on which dozens of Koreans were killed or are still missing when a boat capsized in Hungary, said Friday that it will take legal action against the owner of a second sightseeing vessel that is suspected of causing the accident.
Officials from Very Good Tour said they would begin legal action as soon as the exact reason for the accident is announced.
The move came a day after seven Korean tourists died and 19 others went missing after the large sightseeing vessel, Viking Sigyn, rear-ended the Hableany, a small boat carrying the Koreans, on the Danube River. The latter capsized immediately after the collision, and the larger vessel left the scene without taking any action, according to CCTV recordings and witnesses.
The agency said it would hold either the owner or operator of Viking Sigyn responsible.
"We'll decide on our position after the investigation result comes out, but we plan to take legal action against the cruise operator, owner and the captain," an official of the travel agency said. "We're not sure whether we will do so or the insurance company will, but there will be action taken because it is related to compensation for our customers."
The local authorities in Hungary detained the Ukrainian captain of Viking Sigyn, identified only as Yuriy C., for "endangering waterborne traffic resulting in multiple deaths." They also requested an arrest warrant for him.
Very Good Tour said it would be in charge of supporting the families of victims, who have flown to Hungary, while the government will take charge of rescue-related issues. Dozens of its staff have headed to the country to help the surviving victims and family members in arranging their accommodation, flights back to Korea and other affairs.
On Friday forty-three family members departed for Hungary on four flights, according to the agency.
Since the accident, Very Good Tour has had a deluge of tour program cancellations, while the daily number of new bookings has almost halved.
The agency said it is giving full refunds without cancellation charges for people cancelling trips to Eastern European nations.
Including Very Good Tour, other major travel companies in Korea also decided to suspend sightseeing boat tour programs on the Danube River for an indefinite period.
The agencies, including Hana Tour, Mode Tour and Yellow Balloon Tour, said that they will cancel the river tour program and replace it with another option such as a walking nightscape tour or break time at the hotel.
Rescue operations have been carried out, but the Hungarian authorities said no additional survivors have been found. Mourners expressed their condolences to the victims by putting flowers and candles on the riverside near the accident site.
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