Captain charged over Budapest boat tragedy

The captain of a river cruise ship that collided with a smaller sightseeing vessel was charged Saturday over the accident in Budapest that killed seven South Korean tourists and left 21 missing. The Mermaid carrying mainly South Korean tourists overturned and sank late Wednesday, seconds after colliding with the Viking Sigyn cruise ship on a busy stretch of the Danube in the heart of Budapest.

Strong currents have hampered the search for those missing -- 19 South Koreans and two Hungarians -- preventing divers from reaching the submerged boat. The Sigyn’s Ukrainian captain was charged Saturday, a Budapest court official told AFP, but gave no further details. The 64-year-old was detained Thursday for questioning for “endangering waterborne traffic resulting in multiple deaths”, police have said.

The captain’s lawyer, Balazs Toth, said the court had granted bail, but prosecutors were appealing and so his client remained detained. “He is devastated by the number of victims and is asking constantly that condolences are conveyed to their families,” Toth said. “My client has not changed his statement made as a witness. He insists that he has not made any error,” his other lawyer, Gabor Elo, told reporters after the hearing.