Underwater search for 19 missing Koreans continues on Danube, boat may be salvaged soon
  • 5 years ago
The search for 19 missing Koreans and 2 Hungarian crew members continues under the murky depths of the Danube River in Budapest.
However, if the search fails,... Hungarian officials plan to call off the search and salvage the boat in a matter of days.
Our Choi Si-young has been following the developments.
We have him on the line.
So Si-young, why are Hungarian officials thinking about calling off the search?

Well, Connyoung. The decision is mostly down to the harsh and dangerous conditions on the Danube River.
Hungary's search and rescue team looking for the missing Koreans and Hungarians HAVE recommended the capsized boat be salvaged soon,... instead of continuing on with their underwater search, which is proving difficult amid the swollen water levels and strong currents.
However, Korean officials have raised concerns that bodies potentially inside the boat would be severely damaged during the salvage operation,... and has requested the underwater search continue with no deadline.
That said, Hungary is insisting if underwater search fails to find the missing in the coming days,.. the boat will be salvaged as early as Thursday.

Despite them wanting to continue the search, the South Korean search team says it will actively support Hungary if asked,... including during the salvage operation.
The Hungarian government is also set to hold a press conference on Monday to encourage citizens to report any missing passengers that might be found along the banks of the Danube.

So, the South Korean divers will attempt at diving down and search inside the hull, one last time.
Siyoung, I want to pivot to the captain of the cruise liner that smashed into the side of the tourist boat. He's still under custody, if I remember correctly.

Well,... on Saturday local time, a court in Budapest issued a formal arrest warrant for the captain on charges of negligence for last Wednesday's fatal accident.
The latest video footage released on the same day,... shows the cruiser turning into the tourist boat and colliding with it,... before stopping for about 20 seconds. It then continued on its way along the river.
This has raised suspicions the captain and crew of the larger boat were aware of the accident.
The captain,... who will now be detained for up to a month,... still insists he's innocent.
His lawyer is echoing his client's claim, saying the captain did not violate regulations and therefore should not be found criminally responsible for the sinking of the tourist boat.
The captain's bail has been set at around 50-thousand U.S. dollars.
If he finds the money, he will be freed while the probe continues, but banned from leaving Hungary.

That will be all from me, back to you, Connyoung.

Thanks, Siyoung for the comprehensive wrap up.
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