Rescue crews have raised a sunken tour boat from the bottom of the Danube River, shortly after four more bodies were recovered from the vessel which was involved in a collision with a cruise ship two weeks ago.
A huge floating crane placed the Hableany (Mermaid) on a barge at Margit Bridge, the site of the tragedy in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Nineteen South Korean tourists and a Hungarian crewman have been confirmed dead, with eight people still listed as missing.
Police spokesman Kristof Gal said although it has not yet been officially confirmed, the bodies of the Hableany’s Hungarian captain and a young South Korean girl are believed to be among the four taken off the boat after it was raised to the river surface.
Mr Gal said the tour boat would be taken on the barge to nearby Csepel Island, where it will be examined by Budapest police as part of their investigation into the crash.
He added that rescuers would also sift through the sediment deposited in the hull of the boat – which spent more than 12 full days underwater – in the search for more victims.
The search for the missing victims will continue along the Hungarian section of the Danube River south of Budapest.
The captain of the other ship in the collision, the Viking Sigyn, has been under arrest since June 1, suspected of endangering water transport leading to a deadly mass accident.
The Viking Sigyn, which left Budapest less than 48 hours after the collision with the Hableany, is back in Hungary on a scheduled trip and docked at the town of Visegrad, north of Budapest.
Police said they carried out another inspection on the ship on Monday, but said there were no plans to seize the vessel.
