Capsized Budapest tourist boat to be lifted from the water, Hungarian FM says

  31 May 2019    Read: 1515
Capsized Budapest tourist boat to be lifted from the water, Hungarian FM says

As hopes fade of rescuing those still missing from Wednesday's deadly sightseeing boat collision in Budapest, Hungary's Foreign Minister told reporters Friday that officials were preparing to lift the wreck out of the water.

As hopes fade of rescuing those still missing from Wednesday's deadly sightseeing boat collision in Budapest, Hungary's Foreign Minister told reporters Friday that officials were preparing to lift the wreck out of the water.

Thirty-five people - including 33 South Koreans - were on board the tourist boat in the Hungarian capital when it collided with a larger vessel, according to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Seven people have been confirmed dead, while 21 are still missing. Seven others were rescued from the river and taken to hospital.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told reporters during a joint press conference with his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, that his government's objective was to "recover and surface the wreck as soon as possible to be able to account for all the possible missing persons stuck in the wreckage.

He added that "every single condition is working against the success of our work; those participating in the search and rescue efforts are having to deal with extraordinary circumstances."

Szijjarto told reporters that divers had already attempted several dives down to the vessel but zero visibility made it "impossible to get near the wreck.

He added that the search area had been extended to the "entire stretch" of the River Danube and that Hungary was working with Serbian authorities downstream.

The collision occurred in the city center and according to Hungarian police the boat, called The Mermaid, flipped and sank in just seven seconds.

Seven South Korean tourists died in the accident, of whom two have been identified, authorities said Thursday. None were wearing life jackets. Of the seven people rescued from the water, six have been discharged from hospital. One person remains in hospital with several broken ribs, a doctor from the emergency room confirmed to CNN.


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