Hungary: Death toll rises to 8 after tourist boat capsizes, 18 remain missing

At least eight bodies have been retrieved from the Danube River after a tourist boat carrying 35 people, including 33 South Korean nationals and two Hungarian crew members, capsized last week, the South Korean foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

The sightseeing boat had sunk after being hit by a larger Swiss cruise ship last Wednesday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Search and rescue efforts are ongoing as 20 people, including the two Hungarians, are still missing. Seven people were rescued immediately after the mishap.

The death toll rose after divers retrieved two bodies from the water body, out of which one was identified as a South Korean man in his 60s. His body was found by the rescue team around 132 kilometres away from the site of the incident, the ministry added. The other body is yet to be identified.

Rescue operations had been previously hampered due to high waters, strong currents and poor underwater visibility, as per the South Korean news agency.

The captain of the larger cruise ship has since been detained by the Hungarian police.