Tourist boat capsized in Hungary

A total of eight people - seven Koreans and one Hungarian - died after a boat named sank in Budapest, Hungary. According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ATV and other local media, seven people who were on board had been rescued while 20 are still missing as of 9 a.m., Thursday local time (4 p.m., Thursday KST).

The tour boat Hableany collided with a larger cruise ship and sank on the Danube River between the Hungarian National Assembly building and Széchenyi Chain Bridge at 9:05 p.m., Wednesday. The Hableany was on its way back after the one-hour tour. The Foreign Ministry reported that there were 35 people on board in total including 33 Koreans and 2 crew members. Thirty of the Koreans were identified as tourists and the remaining three as tour guides.

The tourists on the capsized boat were scheduled to travel four Eastern European countries including Hungary from May 25 to June 2 through South Korean travel agency Very Good Tour. The travel agency said there were nine groups of tourists, mostly families, on the boat. Identities of those who died or went missing have not been known yet although it was reported that a person aged over 70 and a child under the age of 10 are among the deceased. Three out of seven rescued passengers had been discharged from a hospital and another will be able to leave soon, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Firefighters and police authorities have blocked all boats other than rescue ships from sailing on the Danube River for the rescue operation. However, local media reported that a rainfall that had continued since the day of the tragic accident is making the rescue efforts difficult. Budapest’s disaster management office reported that about 100 firefighters, as well as radar scans and other special equipment, have been deployed to the accident site on Wednesday.


Jung-Min Dong ditto@donga.com · Ga-In Koo comedy9@donga.com