The Ukrainian captain of a cruise ship which collided with a sightseeing boat in central Budapest has been ordered by a Budapest court to be held in custody. The suspect has so far been under house arrest.
The prosecutor’s office on Nov. 28 pressed charges against the captain for criminal misconduct leading to mass casualties and 35 counts of failing to provide assistance after the collision in May.
According to MTI, the Budapest court ordered the defendant’s arrest due to “a possibility of fleeing among other reasons”.
According to the indictment, the cruise ship’s captain was inattentive losing focus on steering the ship for several minutes. He further failed to keep a safe distance and signal intention to overtake the sightseeing boat. The captain also failed to meet the obligation of providing assistance after the collision.