ⓒYONHAP News

The tourist boat that sank in Hungary’s Danube River was raised on Tuesday.

The boat which was carrying South Korean tourists sank on May 29th after being hit by a larger cruise ship.

Authorities in Hungary including officials at the Counter Terrorism Centre began the salvage operation using a huge floating crane.

The steering room of the sunken boat came into view just 26 minutes after the crane started moving and the entire boat was raised and lifted onto a barge by the end of the day.

On Thursday, the captain of the cruise ship suspected of hitting the tour boat was released on bail. 

According to Hungarian media, a local court upheld an earlier decision and released the Viking Sigyn cruiser’s Ukrainian skipper, Yuriy Chaplinsky. 

The 64-year-old was arrested earlier this month on suspicions of criminal misconduct following the May 29th sinking. 

The prosecution had appealed the court’s decision to release him, arguing that he represents a flight risk and may destroy evidence, but the court disagreed with this assessment.

Only seven tourists aboard the ship are known to have survived the sinking.