But without a captain

Fatal Danube accident: ship continued its journey

Traces of the collision can be seen on the bow of the MS Heidelberg.

(Bild: APA/AP)

On Saturday evening, a hotel ship collided with a motorboat. Two people were killed and one injured in the accident. There is hardly any hope for the five missing persons; there is probably only one survivor. The captain was arrested, but the MS Heidelberg was allowed to continue its journey, it was reported on Monday evening.

The Czech captain of the Swiss-flagged ship is suspected of failing to render assistance resulting in death. The authorities only found out about the fatal crash, which took place in the dark late on Saturday evening near Veröce, when passers-by found an injured person and alerted the police. The ship had apparently simply continued on its way and was only stopped in Komárom, around 90 kilometers upstream.

Survivor to help solve the case
The search for those responsible for the accident continues - as does the search for the five missing persons. According to the head of the Pest County Rescue Service, László Balázs, hopes of finding survivors are dwindling. The police hope to clarify the case by questioning the Italian passenger of the motorboat, who was seriously injured and managed to save himself on the shore.

Collision at high speed
The traces on the hull of the hotel ship prove that the motorboat collided with the MS Heidelberg at high speed, emphasized Mihály Tóth, spokesman for the Hungarian Maritime Association (Mahosz). As quoted by the online portal "Ma.hu" on Tuesday, it is a fact that the hotel ship was traveling on the specified route.

According to the police, the occupants of the motorboat had been traveling from a festival in the Danube Bend. The two fatalities and five missing persons are said to be aged between 18 and 40. They all came from the town of Sülysáp in Pest County, reported the online portal "SzMo.hu". The police published photos of the five missing people.