한국-헝가리, 다뉴브강서 합동 수색 작업 개시 예정... 강경화 "희망 놓지 않을 것"
We start with the latest developments of the tragic sinking of a tourist boat in Budapest...
Authorities are rushing to find the 21 people who are still missing.... 19 of whom are South Koreans.
The search and rescue operations have been expanded to adjacent countries, including Austria and Serbia, but strong currents are hampering the rescue efforts.
An investigation is also underway to find out the exact cause of the crash between the tourist boat and a cruise ship.
Let’s first connect to our Oh Jung-hee to get the latest details from Seoul’s foreign ministry.
Jung-hee, what have you heard so far?
Hey guys.
There was a joint news conference in Budapest just less than an hour ago after top diplomats of South Korea and Hungary had their sitdown.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto expressed condolences on the tragic boat sinking and vowed that his country will exert its best to find the victims.
He explained that, on Thursday, it was very difficult to get a view under the water and the water level was also very high being almost 6 meters but, he hopes some progress could be made as South Korea and Hungary soon begin their joint search operations.
He said he has asked for nearby countries' cooperation as the victims' bodies could have been taken downstream with the current.
Szijjarto added... Hungarian police are investigating to find out exactly how the accident happened.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed gratitude for Hungary's all-out efforts for search and rescue operations.
She at the same time stressed on need for very close coordination between the governments and the search teams.
Take a listen
"At the talks with Minister Szijjarto, I asked for Hungary's cooperation for a quick and effective search of the victims. I've also requested that we quickly salvage the sunken boat, prevent the bodies from being swept away, and expand our coverage area by seeking help from nearby countries at the river's downstream. I've also asked for Budapest's cooperation in identifying the victims."
Seoul's top diplomat said that the two countries won't lose hope of finding survivors until the very end.
She's set to meet with Hungary's Interior Minister later on Friday.
Jung-hee, so it seems joint search operations are to begin today.
Tell us how the search and rescue operations have been taking place at the Danube river so far.
Well, for the past couple of days, Hungary's national police agency has been leading the search and rescue work.
And this morning, Seoul's foreign ministry said that divers from Budapest's Counter Terrorism Centre will begin searching the inside of the sunken cruise boat today.
The Hungarian navy has dispatched vessels to the site.
The coast guard has sent helicopters... and is using underwater radars to try and locate the missing victims.
The teams are expanding their search area more downstream as over 36 hours have passed since the accident and the curr
