Bad conditions hamper Hungary boat victims search
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, center, meets members of a South Korean rescue team participating in rescue operations to find victims of a boat accident in Budapest, Hungary, Friday. AP-Yonhap
Frantic efforts to search for 21 missing victims of this week's tourist boat sinking in Hungary are still being impeded by high waters, strong currents and poor underwater visibility, officials said Saturday.
On Monday morning, divers from Hungary and South Korea plan to determine whether to launch full-scale underwater operations in the Danube River in Budapest where the boat sank, leaving seven Koreans dead and 21 people missing, including 19 Koreans.
But they plan to conduct surface-level searches up to 50 kilometers down the river, from the site of the sinking, starting Saturday.
The sinking occurred Wednesday night when the sightseeing boat carrying 33 Koreans and two Hungarian crew members collided with a larger Switzerland-registered sightseeing boat, causing it to capsize and sink.
In response to a request from Seoul, Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, which are neighboring countries to Hungary are also providing support for the search operations, officials here said.
Marine divers, members of a South Korean rescue team participate in operations to find victims of a boat accident, ride a dingy on the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, Friday. EPA-Yonhap
"Austria, the Czech Republic and other adjoining countries are providing necessary support," Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho said during a government disaster management session at the foreign ministry in Seoul.
"We are concentrating all our efforts in all areas, including expanding the scope of search operations and coming up with measures to prevent any damage to or loss of bodies during the work to salvage the hull and search the vessel," he added.
Lee also said that coordination is under way to provide professional psychological counselors to help the survivors and the families of the victims.
Among the victims' family members, 43 arrived in Budapest the previous day. Another six are to arrive there soon.
"We desperately hope that there will be progress in the search and rescue activities though the situation is very difficult due to the weather at the scene, fast currents and high waters," the vice foreign minister said.
A couple stand on the banks of the Danube river next to the Margit Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, where a sightseeing boat capsized, Friday. AP-Yonhap
Lee has been presiding over the session as Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is in Budapest to coordinate with the search and other operations.
In a message to Interior Minister Chin Young, Hungary's Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said his government will make all-out efforts to search for the missing South Koreans and investigate the cause of the sinking.
In a reply, Chin asked for active cooperation in the search operations and handling and transporting the deceased.
Seoul has formed an emergency response team consisting of 49 people, including staff from the foreign ministry, police, the National Intelligence Service and other agencies, to ensure close coordination with the Hungarian authorities. (Yonhap)