The captain of a Ukrainian cruise ship was sentenced to five years in prison in Hungary on Tuesday for his role in the 2019 accident that sank his ship and a pleasure boat, 25 South Korean tourists and two crew members dying as a result of the tragedy, he reports Reuters.
The pleasure boat was brought to the surface from the waters of the DanubePhoto: Balazs Mohai / Associated Press / Profimedia Images
The “Sirena”, the smaller boat that had 35 people on board, sank on May 30, 2019 after being hit by the liner under a bridge in Budapest during heavy rain.
The 26-meter-long pleasure craft, which had 33 South Koreans and two Hungarian crew members on board, sank overnight in just seven seconds after colliding with the 135-meter-long cruise ship.
Of those killed, 25 were South Korean citizens. The captain of the “Siren” and one of his crew members also lost their lives, while the lifeless body of a South Korean citizen has not been found to this day.
The accident represented the biggest tragedy recorded on the Danube in more than half a century.
The Ukrainian says he is haunted by the memory of the tragedy
“The accused, Yuriy C., is found guilty of (…) negligence that endangered the safety of naval transport (…) and the court sentences him to 5 years in prison,” announced judge Leona Nemeth.
The Ukrainian captain, who has been in the custody of the Hungarian authorities since the time of the tragedy, declared in front of the court that he deeply regrets what happened.
“I can’t get away from the memories of this terrible tragedy even for a minute, I can’t sleep and I think this is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life,” the visibly affected man told the court.
The decision is not final and may be appealed. The ship’s captain was acquitted of another count of failing to render aid during the tragedy.
Only 7 of the South Korean passengers survived the crash.
