The captain of a cruise ship that collided with and sank a sightseeing boat in the Danube River earlier this year is expected to be charged by Hungarian prosecutors for his involvement in the incident.
The unnamed Ukrainian captain of the river cruise ship Viking Sigyn has been in Hungarian judicial custody following his arrest one day after his vessel struck the tour boat Hableány amidships and caused it to sink on May 29.
The incident, which had occurred near the Hungarian Parliament building in Budapest, claimed the lives of Hableány's two crewmembers and 28 out of 35 South Korean tourists who had been on board.
A Budapest police official told local reporters earlier this week that the suspect was in the cruise ship's control cabin at the time of the collision but clarified that no traces of alcohol or other psychoactive substances were found in his bloodstream.
The same official added that Viking Sigyn's captain had claimed he simply did not notice the smaller Hableány in the moments leading up to the incident.
Prosecutors have yet to determine the exact charges to be filed against the suspect.
Meanwhile, Viking Cruises, owner of Viking Sigyn, has promised to cooperate with Hungarian authorities in the subsequent legal proceedings.
