헝가리 여객선 사고...한국인 7명 구조, 26명 사망•실종
Our starting point this evening is the cruise ship crash in Budapest, Hungary.
So far at least 7 South Koreans have been confirmed dead.
19 others remains missing, including a 6 year-old child.
The boat quickly sank near a bridge on the Danube river, after colliding with a bigger cruise ship.
We connect to our Yoon Jung-min standing by at the travel agency in Seoul that organized the trip.
Jung-min what do you have for us.
Sure Daniel. I'm here at the travel agency Very Good Tour in Seoul, which was running the trip. So far, 7 people are confirmed to have died, while another 7 have been rescued. A search and rescue operation is under way for 19 Koreans who are still unaccounted for.
On Wednesday night at around 10 p.m., local time, a boat carrying 33 South Korean tourists and two local crew members capsized after a collision with another cruise boat on the Danube River in Budapest.
Take a listen to what the travel agency said.
"The Hungarian police have announced the result. As mentioned earlier, the police announced that a large Viking cruise collided with our boat in the rear,... while the boat was speeding down for a return. The local police said they will salvage the sunken boat for a detailed investigation."
So far, six females and one male passenger are confirmed to have been rescued. Some are being treated at local hospitals, while others have been discharged. The travel agency refused to disclose information on any of those who died or who are still missing.
The agency says a rescue operation is underway, but as the accident happened at night and there's been heavy rain in Budapest, rescue efforts have been hindered.
Can you tell us about the passengers and the nature of their trip?
The travel agency said most of them were on a package tour, some of them traveling with other members of their family.
Most travelers are said to be in their 50s or 60s. The agency said they were on a six-country tour of Eastern Europe that included visits to Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as the nighttime cruise on the Danube.
The agency said 5 relatives of the passengers departed Incheon for Budapest at 1 A.M. on Thursday,... and 11 other relatives or friends will be heading out soon.
Fourteen travel agency staffers have also been dispatched to the site. The agency apologized for the accident and said they are currently making every effort to help locate the remaining victims and offer support to those you have lost loved ones and those who have been rescued.
That's all I have for you at this hours, Daniel.
