We begin this morning with search and rescue efforts underway in the Danube in Budapest after the tragic sinking of a cruise ship more than 24 hours ago.
We're learning that poor weather conditions are hampering those operations.
So far at least 7 South Koreans have been confirmed dead and 21 others unaccounted for - 19 of them being South Korean nationals. Among the missing, a six year old child.
The boat sank in a matter of seconds after colliding with a bigger cruise ship near a bridge on the Danube River.
Arirang News' Kan Hyeong-woo has been following the developments. We have him on the line.
Hyeongwoo, have there been any updates on the rescue front overnight? It's been well over 24 hours since the crash.
Conn-young, as you just said, 7 South Koreans have been confirmed dead and we are still missing 19 people. Search and rescue operations are still underway.
But Hungarian police say rescue operations are being hindered by rain and the fast-flowing, swollen river.
The search has been extended far downstream into Serbia.
As far as the incident is concerned,... local police say they have taken the captain of the cruise ship that collided with the tour boat into custody.
The 64-year-old Ukrainian man is suspected of dangerous misconduct in water leading to a deadly accident... that happened on Wednesday night at around 10 PM local time.
"What we can see on the (CCTV) footage is that the small boat, the Mermaid, is sailing up north, both boats are, the bigger ship, the Viking too. When they reach the pillars of the Margaret Bridge then the Mermaid boat turns in front of the Viking for some reason. And as the Viking touched the Mermaid it got turned to the side and within about seven seconds after it turned to its side it sank. It is visible how it turned when it got under the pillar."
Local police say a pontoon bridge is being built, but they have to figure out how damaged the boat is for us to know when the wreck will be lifted,... adding the lifting itself could take days.
What do know about South Korean officials making their way to Budapest? And are the family members of the tourists also flying to the Hungarian capital?
South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has taken off with officials and she is expected to arrive in Budapest at around 8 AM on Friday morning local time - which is about 9 hours from now.
Before Kang left Incheon International Airport, she sat down with the Hungarian ambassador to South Korea.
"The families of the victims are likely to be under extreme stress at the accident site. I would appreciate the Hungarian government's consideration and support for the families."
"South Korea has been our ally and partner for 30 years and a lot of South Korean tourists have been visiting Budapest. I am personally and terribly sorry this tragedy happened."
In addition to the minister and officials,... a rescue team from Seoul has also been dispatched to help with rescue efforts. It includes experienced deep-sea divers
