11 people were slightly injured in a night accident of the river cruise ship Viking Aegir on the Danube, which crashed into the pillar of a railway bridge near Komarno Slovakia on Friday, May 6.
The cause of the accident was probably a sudden health problem of the captain of the vessel, the Slovak Ministry of Transport announced.
Initially, there were only 7 injured. According to the ministry, the cause of the collision was the captain's sudden medical condition.
The front of the Viking River Cruises ship and the radar were severely damaged in the crash. After the accident, the boat reached the pontoon on the river bank.
Ivan Rudolf, a spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said that oil and other hazardous substances had not escaped from the vessel. He added they were finding out the extent of the damage to the bridge.
The ministry will comment on the cause of the accident after the investigation has been completed.
The Slovak part of the Danube is widely used by cruise shipping companies. Last week, oil swabs leaked from a Swedish passenger ship at the Gabcikovo waterworks, spilling 8 km. Due to the accident, the voyage was suspended there.
The most tragic accident in modern history occurred on the Danube back in 2019, when the cruise ship Viking Sigyn crashed into the sightseeing ship Mermaid in Budapest (Hungary). The accident killed 28 people - 2 crew and 26 South Korean tourists. Only 7 passengers were rescued.
For more Viking Aegir incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.