International

Rescue workers scoured the Danube River in downtown Budapest Thursday for 21 people missing after a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists sank in a matter of seconds after colliding with a larger cruise ship during an evening downpour.

Seven people are confirmed dead and seven were rescued, Hungarian officials said. Police launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

The South Korea-based Very Good Tour agency, which organized the trip, said the boat had been on its way back after an hourlong night tour on Wednesday evening when the accident happened.

Nineteen South Koreans and two Hungarian crew members are missing. The tour party had consisted of 30 tourists, two guides and a photographer on a package tour of Europe. Pal Gyorfi, spokesman for the National Ambulance Service, said those rescued were hospitalized in stable condition.