Seven Dead, 21 Missing after South Korean Tour Boat Sinks in Hungary

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Rescue workers scoured the Danube River in downtown Budapest Thursday for 21 people missing after a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists sank in a matter of seconds after colliding with a larger cruise ship during an evening downpour. Seven people are confirmed dead and seven were rescued, Hungarian officials said. Police launched a criminal investigation into the incident. Photos: Tour Boat Sinks in Hungary The South Korea-based Very Good Tour agency, which organized the trip, said the boat had been on its way back after an hourlong night tour on Wednesday evening when the accident happened. Nineteen South Koreans and two Hungarian crew members are missing. The tour party had consisted of 30 tourists, two guides and a photographer on a package tour of Europe. Pal Gyorfi, spokesman for the National Ambulance Service, said those rescued were hospitalized in stable condition. The sunken boat was located early Thursday near the Margit Bridge, not far from the neo-Gothic Parliament building on the riverbank. Police Col. Adrian Pal said the boat turned on its side and sank in about seven seconds. He said that rescue operations were hampered by the rain and the fast flow of the rising Danube. The search for the 21 missing extended far downstream, even into Serbia, where the Danube goes after leaving Hungary. The river, which is 450 meters (500 yards) wide at the point of the accident, was fast-flowing and rising as heavy rain continued in the c...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Major Incidents International News Source Type: news