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Ship collision – Police search for missing persons with 15 boats
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The Danube Water Police are searching for missing persons from last week boat collision with 15 boats on an over 200km stretch of the river between Budapest and the country’s southern border, the water police chief said on Friday.
Police are also using dogs to search for the bodies and three of the missing bodies have been discovered with their help so far, Richárd Prohaszka told a press conference.
Sonar equipment, search lights and night-vision are also being used, he added.
The search for missing persons started right after the collision and will continue until all the bodies are found, he said. Other water authorities are also involved in the search, he added.
In response to a question, he said the body of one of the Hungarian crew from the Hableány pleasure boat had been found thanks to a citizen’s report on Thursday. In response to another question, he said there was no plan to involve civilians in the search operation.
The national water management authority said on Friday that the water level of the River Danube was still on the rise. Snow melting in the catchment areas of the river is expected to push the water level a few centimetres up in the next few days. A flood alert is in place along 350km of the river in Hungary, the authority said in a statement.