Underwater search for 19 missing Koreans continues on Danube, boat may be salvaged soon

  • 5 years ago
The search for 19 missing Koreans and two Hungarian crew members continues under the murky waters of the Danube River in Budapest.
However, if the search fails,... Hungarian officials plan to call off the search and salvage the boat as early as Thursday.
Our Choi Si-young tells more.

Hungary's search and rescue team looking for the missing Koreans and Hungarians HAVE recommended the capsized boat be salvaged soon,... instead of continuing 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 have requested the underwater search continue.
Hungary is insisting if underwater search fails to find the missing in the coming days,.. the boat will be salvaged as early as Thursday.
"Hungarian officials say the water level will decrease a bit this week, so the boat could be salvaged as early as Thursday,... but perhaps as late as next week."

The South Korean search team, however, did say 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 have been found along the banks of the Danube.

"The Hungarian counterterrorism agency will hold a press conference at 2 pm on Monday to ask Hungarians to report immediately if any bodies are found along the Danube River."

On Saturday local time, a court in Budapest issued a formal arrest warrant for the captain of the cruise ship that collided with the tourist boat on charges of negligence for last Wednesday's fatal accident.
The captain,... who will now be detained for up to a month,... insists he's innocent.
His lawyer is echoing his client's claim, saying the captain didn't 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.

Choi Si-young, Arirang News.

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