At least seven tourists from South Korea lost their lives and around 19 other people went missing after a sightseeing boat they were travelling in sank following its collision with another vessel on the Danube River here on Wednesday evening (local time), authorities said.CNN confirmed after quoting a spokesman for the tour operator as saying that 34 people were on board, including the crew.Hungarian authorities further said that officers from Budapest Police headquarters, as well as disaster management and rescue service personnel, are handling the rescue operation.The Mermaid, a ship from Panorama Deck's tourist fleet operating on the Danube since 2003, sunk shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, Panorama Deck spokesman Mihaly Toth told CNN.Emergency services are attempting to rescue as many people as possible, but the water level is high, and for that reason "the Danube is very strong," he said.In addition, heavy rain is also impeding emergency responders' efforts to search the water's .
