Hungary to commemorate victims of Danube boat catastrophe

Hungary to commemorate victims of Danube boat catastrophe

SeattlePI.com

Published

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Commemorations will be held Friday on the anniversary of the Danube River tragedy in which a sightseeing boat carrying mostly tourists from South Korea sank after a collision with a river cruise ship that killed at least 27 people.

At least 25 out of 33 South Korean tourists died when the Hableany (Mermaid) boat capsized at the foot of Budapest’s Margit Bridge near the neo-Gothic Hungarian parliament building on the night of May 29, 2019. The boat’s two-man Hungarian crew also died, while a female South Korean tourist is still missing.

Some of the victims’ bodies were found weeks after the crash more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream.

The Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn cruise ship, Yuriy Chaplinsky, is facing charges including the negligent endangerment of water traffic leading to a fatal mass catastrophe and 35 counts of failing to give assistance.

His trial began with a preliminary hearing on March 11, but court sessions set for April and May were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. If conditions allow, the trial is set to resume in September.

Friday's memorial events will include the placement of a wreath on the water at the site of the crash by the company which operated the Hableany, as well as a tribute with the participation of officials from the Hungarian government and the city of Budapest.

The Hableany was raised out of the Danube by a huge floating crane on June 11, 2019, with divers from South Korea assisting their Hungarian colleagues in recovering several bodies that were still aboard the sunken tour boat.

Dive supervisor Janos Vigh, 60, led an eight-member team which descended in the murky Danube to help recover the bodies and worked to secure a harness on the vessel lying about nine meters (30...

Full Article