The Latest: Cruise ship boss laments sunken tour boat mishap
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The Latest on the sunken tour boat in Hungary’s capital (all times local):
6:25 p.m.
Hungarian police say the confirmed death toll from the Danube River tour boat that collided with a large cruise ship grew to 11 after they recovered another body.
The remains of a South Korean man were found Tuesday about 58 kilometers (36 miles) downstream from the Budapest scene of last week’s accident.
The Hableany (Mermaid) was carrying South Korean tourists and a two-man Hungarian crew. Seventeen of the 35 people remain missing and seven were rescued.
A huge floating crane is expected to arrive in Budapest in the next few days to try to lift the Hableany — lying some nine meters (29 ½ feet ) below the surface — out of the water.
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3:15 p.m.
Hungarian rescuers say the death toll from the Danube River tour boat that collided with a large cruise ship grew to 10 after they recovered another body.
Divers discovered the body brought to the surface Tuesday in the sunken boat, which was carrying South Korean tourists when the accident happened in Budapest.
Eighteen of the 35 people who were on the Hableany (Mermaid) remain missing. Seven were rescued.
Authorities say the principal goal of ongoing recovery work is salvaging the Hableany from the river bottom. Fast moving water in the Danube, typically high springtime water levels and near zero visibility under water has hindered the task along with search and rescue efforts.
Hungarian and South Korean divers are working together to locate victims.
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12:15 p.m.
The head of the company whose ship collided last week with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists on the Danube River in Budapest has expressed his “personal and sincere condolences” to those affected by the “tragic incident.”
Torstein Hagen, chairman of Swiss-based Viking River Cruises, said the company is cooperating fully with the investigation, which is being carried out by Hungarian police.
Nine South Koreans have been confirmed dead, seven survived and 19, including the two Hungarian crew members of the Hableany (Mermaid), are missing.
Hagen said in a statement that his company is “making sure that every resource is being made available to assist” the investigation.
The Ukrainian captain of the Sigyn Viking was placed under arrest for up to 30 days on Saturday, suspected of endangering water traffic causing a fatal mass disaster.
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11:30 a.m.
Two bodies found in the Danube River have been confirmed as South Korean victims of last week’s sightseeing boat accident in Budapest.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that a body found near the tour boat on the river floor was a woman in her 50s, while the body of a man in his 60s was recovered 132 kilometers (82 miles) downstream.
Both bodies were recovered Monday.
Nine people, all Koreans, have been confirmed dead. Seven people survived and 19, including the two Hungarian crew members, are still missing.
The Hableany (Mermaid) capsized and sank Wednesday night after a collision at Margit Bridge, in central Budapest, with a much larger river cruise ship, the Viking Sigyn.
Hungarian and South Korean divers are continuing search and recovery efforts.
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