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Cruise ship captain arrested in deadly Budapest boat crash

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - A Hungarian judge on Saturday ordered the formal arrest of a captain whose Viking river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat on the Danube River, sinking the tourist boat and leaving seven South Koreans dead and 21 other people missing.

Authorities said water levels in Budapest are expected to fall quickly in the coming days, helping efforts to salvage the wreckage that may still contain victims' bodies.

The judge ordered the 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn cruise ship formally arrested for 30 days. He said the captain could be released on bail - subject to him wearing a tracking device and remaining in Budapest - but prosecutors are appealing that decision.

The Viking ship collided Wednesday evening with a much smaller sightseeing boat carrying 35 people, most of them South Korean tourists, in Budapest, the capital. Seven people were rescued.

Divers so far have been unable to even approach the wreckage of the 27-meter (88ˆ½-foot) tour boat due to high water levels, strong currents and murky waters. A Hungarian military ship has been anchored at the site to help the salvage operation.

The captain is suspected of endangering water traffic causing a fatal mass disaster, which carries a sentence of 2 to 8 years.

"The substantiated suspicion is supported by the report from the scene, photographs, video recordings and more," the court said, adding that the suspect must be available for authorities investigating the deadly crash.

The captain, identified only as Yuriy C. in line with Hungarian laws, has been in custody since Thursday. His lawyers dispute that their client made any mistakes leading to the collision, which took place under a heavy rain and with restricted visibility on the river.

Defense lawyer Gabor Elo said there are no grounds to consider his client a suspect in the case, arguing that the prosecution's request for the arrest was motivated only by the fact that the captain is a Ukrainian citizen.

Elo said his client "is very sorry that he was involved in such an accident in which so many people lost their lives or are missing."

Hungarian police spokesman Kristof Gal said the seven confirmed victims, all South Koreans, have been identified with the help of South Korean authorities by using finger and palm prints and showing photos to relatives.

Some victims' relatives and friends on Saturday visited the site of the collision under the city's Margit Bridge, one of the seven main bridges over the Danube in Budapest, close to the neo-gothic Hungarian parliament building. Flowers tributes and candles have been placed along the bridge.

High spring water levels have so far hampered recovery efforts for the missing but Hungarian authorities hoped that would soon change.

Water management authorities said Saturday the Danube River's water levels will soon peak at around 5.9 meters (19 feet, 5 inches) and fall to about 4 meters (13 feet) by the middle of next week. It added that no rainfall affecting water levels was expected in the next six days.

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AP Writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed.

Family and friends of victims gather near flower tributes on the banks of the Danube river where a sightseeing boat capsized, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Hungarian water management authorities say the Danube River's water levels are expected to fall quickly in Budapest in the coming days, which may help efforts to salvage the wreck of a tour boat that sank last week after a collision with a river cruise ship. The sinking has killed seven South Korean tourists and left 21 other people still missing. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
Boats are seen on the Danube river close to the spot where a sightseeing boat had capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. As divers descended Friday into the Danube, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh) The Associated Press
South Korean rescue team inspects the site of a ship accident on the Danube river where a sightseeing boat capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. As divers descended Friday into the Danube, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh) The Associated Press
Rescue boats float on the Danube river where a sightseeing boat had capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Rescue operations continue Saturday, and Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed Wednesday night by a cruise ship and sank. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
Flowers are seen on the railing of the Margit bridge as rescue boats work on the Danube river at the scene where a sightseeing boat capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Rescue operations continue Saturday, and Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed Wednesday night by a cruise ship and sank. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
A woman looks out from the Margit bridge as rescue crews work on the Danube river below, as search teams continue to work after a sightseeing boat capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed Wednesday night by a cruise ship and sank.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
Members of the rescue crew pull out an underwater robotic probe from the waters of the Danube river as search operations continue where a sightseeing boat had capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed Wednesday night by a cruise ship and sank.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
A woman and a child light a candle on the banks of the Danube river where a sightseeing boat had capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. As the rescue operation continued on the Danube on Saturday, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
Flowers and candles lay on the banks of the Danube river where a sightseeing boat had capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. As the rescue operation continued on the Danube on Saturday, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
A man wipes tears off as he stands on the banks of the Danube river where a sightseeing boat had capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. As the rescue operation continued on the Danube on Saturday, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
South Korean rescue team inspects the site of a ship accident on the Danube river where a sightseeing boat capsized in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. As divers descended Friday into the Danube, Hungarian authorities predicted it would take an extended search to find the 21 people still missing after a boat carrying South Korean tourists was rammed by a cruise ship and sank into the river in Budapest. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh) The Associated Press
Family and friends of victims gather near flower tributes on the banks of the Danube river where a sightseeing boat capsized, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Hungarian water management authorities say the Danube River's water levels are expected to fall quickly in Budapest in the coming days, which may help efforts to salvage the wreck of a tour boat that sank last week after a collision with a river cruise ship. The sinking has killed seven South Korean tourists and left 21 other people still missing. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
Family and friends of victims gather near flower tributes on the banks of the Danube river where a sightseeing boat capsized, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Hungarian water management authorities say the Danube River's water levels are expected to fall quickly in Budapest in the coming days, which may help efforts to salvage the wreck of a tour boat that sank last week after a collision with a river cruise ship. The sinking has killed seven South Korean tourists and left 21 other people still missing. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) The Associated Press
South Korean divers and Hungarian counter terrorism personnel load equipment onto a floating pier at Margaret Bridge, at the site of the accident involving South Korean tourists, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. On Wednesday, May 29, 2019 a hotelship and a sightseeing ship collided on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, and the latter sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. (Noemi Bruzak/MTI via AP) The Associated Press
A family leaves candles on the Pest embankment of the Danube at Margaret Bridge, under which the accident involving South Korean tourists occured, in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 1, 2019. On Wednesday, May 29, 2019 a hotelship and a the sightseeing ship collided on the River Danube in downtown Budapest, and the latter sank with thirty-three South Korean passengers and two Hungarian staff on board. (Lajos Soos/MTI via AP) The Associated Press
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