Two boats collided on the river canal of the Danube near Šamorín early on April 13. A pleasure boat en route from Passau in Germany to Esztergom in Hungary which was carrying 100 passengers crashed into a boat transporting maize; the latter is now semi-submerged.
All the passengers from both boats are safe and unharmed. One person has been hospitalised, but for causes unrelated to the accident. The Slovak Rescue Service sent units from its stations in Šamorín and Dunajská Streda with boats, the Sme daily quoted the TASR newswire as saying.
The Complex Central Rescue Service in Gabčíkovo also assisted. “The ships crashed, according to the latest information, at about 10 minutes before 2:00 in the morning. The sinking boat is out of the usual channel route,” Ivan Peťko, spokesman of the Regional Fire Brigade, informed TASR.
Slovak Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic visited the site and was shocked to learn that rescue units only learnt about the accident at 7:00 in the morning, even though the crash had taken place five hours earlier.
Sources: Sme, TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
