A river cruise ship captain was sentenced to more than five years of prison for his role in the death of 26 South Korean tourists.
The captain of Viking Sigyn was ruled negligent after the ship collided with a smaller Danube cruise boat in 2019.
The smaller vessel sank within minutes, killing 25 South Korean guests and two crew.
There was a total of 35 people aboard the boat.
Yuriy C., a Ukrainian national, was jailed for five and a half years.
However, he won’t do much time as he has been in detention since the incident four years ago.
It was the deadliest accident on the river Danube for decades.
Prosecutors said the Danube cruise accident could have been avoided.
“The captain switched on the radar equipment, but did not use it at the time of the accident,” the judge said.
At the sentencing hearing, Yuriy C. said he was ‘deeply sorry’ and ‘this tragedy keeps haunting me.’
