Night-time crash

Shipwreck in Hungary: dead and missing

Hungarian police on a search mission on the Danube(Bild: facebook.com/BRFK)

At least two people have died in a shipwreck on the Danube in Hungary. Emergency services are currently searching for several missing persons with a large contingent. A hotel ship is believed to have collided with a smaller motorboat.

According to the Hungarian police, the serious accident occurred late on Saturday evening. Passers-by discovered a man with serious head injuries next to the Danube near Veröce (see map below) north of Budapest, but he was still responsive.

Hungarian police on a search mission on the Danube(Bild: facebook.com/BRFK)

"Through communication with the man, we found out that there must have been an accident on the Danube," a police spokesperson told the press on Sunday morning. As a result, the civil protection and rescue services were also called in to investigate the scene of the accident.

Two bodies and a damaged boat found
A short time later, the emergency services came across the bodies of a man and a woman on the banks of the Danube. A damaged motorboat was also found in the immediate vicinity and was pulled ashore. According to reports, a total of eight people were on board. Five passengers are still missing.

The police then stopped a hotel ship near Komárom. It was reported that the side walls were damaged. The Budapest police headquarters has now started an investigation, and the authorities assume that the ship rammed the boat. Proceedings have been initiated on suspicion of endangering shipping traffic with multiple fatalities.

No Austrians on board
The Foreign Ministry in Vienna confirmed to krone.at that there were no Austrians on board the hotel ship. The search for the missing persons is being conducted on land, in the water and also using drones.