Captain of Cruise Ship Involved in Fatal Collision Held In Hungarian Custody

The captain of the Viking Sigyn cruise ship has been ordered held in custody by a Hungarian court, three days after the ship he was piloting crashed into a smaller vessel. Though the exact death toll is not currently known, authorities have announced that at least 7 people have been confirmed dead and 21 are still missing. 

The ship’s captain, 64-year-old C. Yuriy from the Ukraine, has been held without charge since Thursday. Saturday’s court ruling ordered Yuriy held for one month on $50,000 bail. 

Published reports indicate that nearly all of the victims aboard the smaller vessel, named the Mermaid, were South Korean.Two of the missing victims were Hungarian. 

The search effort for the victims of the collision has been hampered by adverse weather conditions in the area of the crash. Authorities have still not announced the recovery of any additional bodies after the 7 who were pronounced dead a day after the incident. 

The incident is especially troubling because of how it apparently unfolded. Video of the incident, which has been released online, appears to show the cruise ship striking the Mermaid from behind, pushing it under water and causing it to sink.