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Hungary prosecutors indict cruise captain in deadly collision
BUDAPEST, Nov 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Hungarian prosecutors Thursday
indicted the captain of a cruiser involved in a collision with a sightseeing
boat for “reckless misconduct in waterborne traffic” over the May accident
which left 27 people dead.
The Mermaid tourist boat sank with 35 people on board — all but two of
them South Koreans — seconds after colliding with the larger Viking Sigyn
vessel on a busy stretch of the Danube river in the heart of the capital
Budapest.
Only seven South Koreans were saved, while the bodies of others, including
the Hungarian captain and one crew, were found in the water, some much
further downstream and weeks later. One South Korean remains missing.
The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the Viking steered by the
64-year-old Ukrainian hit the rear end of the Mermaid, causing it to turn and
pressing it down.
The captain, which has been sailing on the Danube since 1975 and licensed
as a captain since 1989, had “failed to pay adequate attention”, keep a save
distance and transmit radio and sound signals required for an overtake, the
statement said.
The Ukrainian was also indicted for “failure to provide assistance” over
the accident despite having taken part in training and rescue exercises that
year.
If found guilty, the captain faces from two to 11 years in jail.
Prosecutors say they will seek a nine-year jail sentence to the court if he
pleads guilty during a preliminary hearing.
BSS/AFP/BZC/2015HRS