Video: Ship Collision Search Continues, Detained Captain Denies Misconduct
- 31 May 2019 4:23 PM
- Hungary Matters
Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó and his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha visited the site of Wednesday’s ship collision on the Danube in central Budapest.
In the incident, a small sight-seeing ship carrying South Korean tourists collided with a large cruise ship and sank. At least seven people died and 21 others have been reported missing.
In the meantime the 64 year-old Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn cruiser was questioned under suspicion of causing the mass disaster and was detained, police said.
The captain has not violated any rules, an attorney representing him told MTI, adding that he has filed a complaint against the accusations.
Balázs M. Tóth said that raising charges was “untimely” and there was not enough evidence to support suspicion. He added that the opinion of experts would be crucial.
The lawyer said that the captain has served 44 years in that capacity and had never caused an accident. The captain has been shocked by the accident, he is sorry that he could not avoid the disaster, and has expressed his sympathy to the victims’ families, he added.
Meanwhile Gergely Karácsony, Budapest mayor candidate of opposition Párbeszéd, called for new shipping regulations, citing a boom in shipping on the Danube within the city.
He proposed that large ships should be banned from cruising the river for sightseeing.
MTI Photo Balogh Zoltán
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