7 Koreans dead, 21 missing in boat accident in Hungary

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Mon, December 4, 2023 | 19:53

Politics

7 Koreans dead, 21 missing in boat accident in Hungary

Posted : 2019-05-30 16:50

Updated : 2019-05-31 18:27

UPDATE Rescuers search for victims along the river bank early Thursday, after a tourist boat crashed with a river cruise boat, overturned and sank in River Danube in Budapest, Hungary, late Wednesday. AP

President orders all-out rescue measures; foreign minister, search teamsdispatched

By Lee Min-hyung, Park Si-soo

UPDATE Seven Korean tourists died and 21 are still missing after a sightseeing boat named the Hableany (Mermaid in English) collided with a bigger cruise vessel and capsized on the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, at 9:05 p.m. Wednesday evening (local time) according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Seven more Koreans were rescued and taken immediately to nearby hospitals

Out of 35 people on board, 33 people were Korean tourists and tour guides. Two Hungarian crew members are alsomissing following the incident.

Heavy rainfall swelled waters of the river at the time of the accident, hampering rescue activities the foreign ministry said.

"Rescue operations underway are difficult due to the month-long rainfall there," a ministry official said. "The river is flowing fast and high. On top of that, the water temperature there is below 15 degrees Celsius."

The Korean Embassy in Hungary formed an emergency team to assist in the rescue, and is closely coordinating with the local authorities, he added.

Hungarian authorities are looking into the exact cause of the accident, but so far, no details have been confirmed, according to the official.

"The boat was not big with an overall capacity of 45 people, butit appears to have sunk after colliding with the larger sightseeing vessel,"he said. "An investigation is underway by the local authorities to find out the cause of the accident."

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For swift post-accident management, the foreign ministry dispatched an emergency response team to Budapest, Thursday, composed of 18 officials from the ministry and the National Emergency Management Agency.

After receiving a briefing on the accident, President Moon Jae-in ordered relevant ministries to mobilize all possible measures and resources to assist in rescue operations.

"President Moon instructed officials to cooperate with the Hungarian government to utilize all available resources for rescue activities," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Ko Min-jung said.

On Thursday afternoon, Moon held a 15-minute-long telephone conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, requesting his assistance in handling post-crisis management.

The President also ordered Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha to immediately set up acentral disaster and safety countermeasures office, Ko said.

Kang will lead the office to swiftly come up with measures to deal with the accident the foreign ministry said. She flew to Hungary Thursday evening to inspect the site of the sinking.

The ministry said it will closelycooperate with relevant ministries and Cheong Wa Dae to respond to any developments rapidly and comprehensively.

According to the presidential office, National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong also presided over several emergency meetings with foreign, defense and public administration ministers to keep President Moon updated.

The Korean tourists on board the ship were mostly in their 40s and 50s, according to a Seoul-based tourism company which organized the group tour to Central Europe. The youngest of the tourists was a six-year-old girl, the company said.

"About nine family groups were on the tour," Lee Sang-moo, the company's senior vice president, said in a press conference.

When asked why the boat wasoperating despite the harsh weather, the official said all othersightseeing boats were operating regular services, so the agency decided to carry out the tour as planned.

The company has contacted the tourists' family members and is flying them to Hungary.

"Starting from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, we are going to fly the family members of the tourists to Hungary," Lee said.

mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr