A Ukrainian captain has been imprisoned following a deadly boat collision during a river tour on the Danube River.

"A Ukrainian captain has been imprisoned following a deadly boat collision during a river tour on the Danube River."

    "The captain of the cruise ship involved in a fatal collision with a tour boat on the River Danube in Budapest, resulting in 28 deaths in May 2019, has been sentenced to five years in prison for gross negligence. The incident occurred during a rainstorm, causing the sinking of the tour boat carrying South Korean tourists. The Ukrainian captain, Yuri Chaplinsky, has denied wrongdoing and plans to appeal the verdict. This tragedy marked the worst Danube disaster in three decades, highlighting the significance of the incident on Europe's second-longest river."

    "In March 2020, Hungarian prosecutors alleged that Yuri Chaplinsky, the captain of the Viking Sigyn cruise ship, had been negligent by not paying sufficient attention and failing to properly steer the ship for several minutes during a rainstorm. They argued that he did not detect the presence of the Mermaid tour boat, nor did he communicate via radio or issue emergency signals. The collision between the Viking Sigyn and the Mermaid occurred just after 21:00 local time on May 29, 2019, as both vessels passed under Budapest's Margaret Bridge. While seven of the 35 people on board the tour boat were rescued and some bodies were quickly recovered, others were either swept away by the swollen river or trapped inside the sinking boat."

    "Following the collision, the tour boat, the Mermaid, sank rapidly. Survivor Jung described the strong current and people being swept away. Among the victims, 25 were South Koreans, including the Mermaid's captain and a crew member. Only seven Korean passengers survived, with one still missing. The Ukrainian captain, Yuri Chaplinsky, who has been in custody since 2019, expressed deep sorrow for the tragedy in court but was acquitted of the charge of failing to provide help. Chaplinsky shared his ongoing emotional struggle, saying he cannot escape the memories of the incident and that it will be something he has to live with for the rest of his life."