The captain crashed into a smaller boat with a cruise ship. 27 people died in the incident in 2019.
The Ukrainian captain of a cruise ship who rammed and sank a smaller vessel with his boat in the Danube, in Budapest, in 2019, was sentenced in the first instance in Hungary, on Tuesday, to five years and six months in prison. . The accident killed 25 South Korean tourists and two crew members. A missing person was never found.
The court convicted the captain of negligently placing marine traffic and causing a fatal accident. However, he was not prosecuted for failing to provide assistance.
After the decision was announced, the Ukrainian captain, asserting his right to the last word, said in a broken voice that “he has not been able to sleep at night since the tragedy”. His condolences go out to the deceased and their families. The convict emphasized that he deeply regrets that all this happened with his involvement. In his defense, defense lawyer Gábor Tóth criticized what he considered to be the lack of presentation of several pieces of evidence, such as the use of radar. Tóth demanded his client’s acquittal.
The big ship kept going
The accident occurred on May 29, 2019 near the Margaret Bridge, in Budapest, when the “Viking Sigyn” hit the “Nixe” during an overtaking maneuver, continued sailing without assistance and thus sealed the fate of the crew and tourists. The small ship sank in a few seconds. Only seven occupants of the boat survived the collision.
Charges have been brought against the Ukrainian captain on suspicion of negligently endangering maritime traffic resulting in death. The trial has been ongoing since November 2019, with long breaks between trial days because of Corona.
Krisztian Gulyas, legal representative of the family of the Hungarian captain of the “Nixe”, presented, among other things, audio recordings in which the Ukrainian declared from the bridge of the “Viking Sigyn” to a passenger who was pointing out the disaster: “I had an accident of a ship that caused a ship to capsize, it is possible that I am responsible.”
Two years after the accident, another case was filed in the Budapest court with a record amount of compensation of 4.3 billion forints (12.34 million euros). This is the amount demanded by more than 70 family members of the 26 South Korean victims. (APA/Portal)