A tragic shipping accident occurred on the Hungarian Danube near Veröce (50 kilometres north of Budapest) late on Saturday evening. A river cruise ship, the "MS Heidelberg", collided with a motorboat. Two people lost their lives in the accident, one passenger on the motorboat was seriously injured and managed to escape to shore. This was reported by various media.
Captain suspected of failing to render assistance
The Hungarian police have arrested the captain of the river cruise ship and suspect him of failing to render assistance resulting in death. The ship continued its journey after the collision and was stopped around 90 kilometres later in the town of Komarom. The hull of the ship was damaged.
Five more people missing
Rescue workers recovered the bodies of a man and a woman from the water. The search for three men and two women who were also in the motorboat is still ongoing. The chances of finding the missing persons alive are estimated by the emergency services to be minimal.
Danube shipwreck awakens negative memories of past shipping disaster
The accident is tragically reminiscent of a shipping disaster that occurred on the Danube in Budapest in May 2019. Back then, a river cruise ship collided with an excursion boat, killing two Hungarian crew members and 27 South Korean tourists.
The "MS Heidelberg", which flies the Swiss flag, was travelling from Budapest to Passau and had 110 passengers on board. The investigation into the recent shipwreck on the Danube is ongoing, while the background to the collision continues to be investigated.
