Budapest unveils memorial to Danube tourist boat victims
Hungarian and South Korean officials have inaugurated a memorial in Budapest that commemorates the 28 people who died in a tourist boat accident on the Danube River two years ago
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hungarian and South Korean officials inaugurated a memorial Monday in Budapest that commemorates the 28 people who died, most of them South Koreans, in a boating accident on the Danube River two years ago.
The two deputy foreign ministers pulled off a white ribbon draped around the memorial, a gray granite block engraved with the names of the victims. It is located along the river where the accident occurred near the Margaret Bridge, near the Parliament building.
“Let this monument stand here as long as Budapest stands! It will always pay tribute to the victims of the disaster and it will be a reminder of the special relationship between Korea and Hungary,” said Levente Magyar, the Hungarian official.
Choi Jong-moon, his South Korean counterpart, voiced his appreciation to Hungary for the memorial.
“I still remember the footage from the night of the tragic event. Many Hungarian people standing on the bridge and they prayed for the Korean victims, and they cried. It was very touching," he said.
“This and the expressions of condolences from the Hungarian people have all helped us to cope with the loss,” he said.
He also said it's been painful for victims' families not to be able to visit the site of the tragedy recently due to the pandemic.
The disaster occurred on May 29, 2019, when the Viking Sigyn cruise boat collided with a smaller tourist boat carrying 33 South Koreans, causing that boat to sink instantly.
Just seven of the South Korean tourists aboard the Mermaid sightseeing boat survived. Two Hungarian crew members also died. The remains of one South Korean tourist have yet to be recovered.
Magyar said “the loss of our Korean brothers and sisters is entirely our own, their grief is our grief, their mourning is our mourning."
The Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn has been charged with reckless endangerment of navigation resulting in a fatality and 35 counts of failure to render assistance.