Hungary Extends Search for 21 Missing in Boat Sinking

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — As divers descended Friday into the Danube, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. Seven people so far are confirmed dead and seven others were rescued. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, visited the site of Wednesday's accident and met with rescue and search officials before holding talks. "We have to prepare for a protracted search," Szijjarto said he was told by Budapest river police, adding that authorities were also expecting help from Serbia, where the Danube flows after leaving Hungary. "It is not unimaginable that we will need to depend on them in the coming days." Divers in full equipment went into Danube but were unable to inspect the wreckage of the boat due to the extremely murky waters and heavy currents from recent rains. Officials said it could take days to recover the 70-year-old boat, which was built in the former Soviet Union. Just hours after Wednesday night's collision, the body of one victim was found nearly 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) downstream from the site of the collision, near the Hungarian capital's neo-Gothic parliament building. "The wreck is located more than six meters (20 feet) deep and the water level continues to rise because of the expected rainfall," Szijjarto added. T...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: International News Source Type: news