Boat captain responsible for 2019 Danube collision killing S. Korean tourists found guilty

The captain of a river cruise boat that fatally collided with another vessel in Hungary’s capital in 2019 was found guilty on Tuesday of negligence leading to a fatal mass catastrophe.

As reported by Euronews, the collision killed at least 27 people at the time, the majority of whom were tourists from South Korea. One woman remains missing to this day, with many victims' bodies having been discovered only weeks after the tragedy.

The Ukrainian captain,68-year-old Yuriy Chaplinsky, has been sentenced to five years and six months in prison.

Chaplinsky's boat, the Viking Sigyn, collided with a smaller tourist boat, the Hableany (Mermaid) from behind on the Danube river, causing it to sink within seconds.

Representatives of the South Korean Embassy in Budapest were present during the hearing.