Boat accident on the Danube: Ukrainian captain imprisoned in Hungary

Author:
Liza Brovko
Date:

The Ukrainian captain of the Vikyn Sigyn cruise ship Yuriy Chaplinsky, who collided with the small tourist boat Mermaid on the Danube River in Budapest, was jailed for five years. 28 people died in the accident.

The BBC writes about it.

Captain Chaplinsky denied guilt, but was found guilty of gross negligence. The husband can file an appeal.

During a downpour in May 2019, the Mermaid boat with South Korean tourists on board sank seconds after colliding with the liner.

In March 2020, the Hungarian prosecutorʼs office told the court that Czaplinsky improperly steered the vessel for several minutes during a downpour.

"I canʼt get rid of the memory of this terrible tragedy for a minute. I canʼt sleep, and I think itʼs something Iʼll have to live with for the rest of my life," Chaplinsky said in court.