A group of South Korean dancers sprinkled rose petals over the Danube in Budapest to the tunes of a musical piece composed especially for a traditional farewell ceremony to the victims of a boat accident on the Budapest stretch of the river in May.
On the evening of May 29th, a Swiss-operated Viking River Cruises ship rammed a sightseeing boat, the Hableány (Mermaid) on the downtown Budapest stretch of the Danube, with 33 South Korean tourists and two crew on board.
The small sightseeing boat sunk within seven seconds and only seven tourists could be rescued. Search-and-rescue operations continued for days. 27 bodies were eventually recovered, with one tourist officially still listed as missing.
According to Rmx.news, the ceremony was accompanied by the Requiem of South Korean composer Ri Kom-sop written for the occasion. South Korean ambassador to Hungary Choe Kyoo-Sik said at the ceremony that Hungarian authorities gave every assistance possible in the search-and-rescue operation. It was the largest operation of its kind in Hungary.
The Ukrainian captain of the river cruise ship is currently under arrest in Hungary, being investigated for involuntary manslaughter.
Photo credit: Magyar Hírlap