Hungary arrests captain of cruise ship involved in fatal crash

The captain of a boat involved in a deadly river collision in Hungary was arrested on Thursday as hopes faded for any further survivors.

A small sightseeing boat collided with a larger river cruise ship on the Danube in Budapest on Wednesday, capsizing the smaller vessel. It took just seconds for the Mermaid to sink with 35 people on board.

At least seven people were confirmed dead on Thursday and 21 others were missing, while seven survived. Most of those on board were South Korean tourists on a group tour.

The Hungarian captain and a crew-member of the Mermaid are still missing.

Police arrested the 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the 135-meter, four-story Viking Sigyn.

He was "questioned as a suspect... in relation to endangering waterborne traffic resulting in multiple deaths."

Police said security camera footage "shows that before the collision, the Mermaid turned towards the German-built Viking Sigyn cruise boat for some reason. The Viking then turned the small boat over, and it sank within seven seconds."

Police said the 70-year-old Mermaid was serviced regularly and had no obvious faults.