A meeting was convened between several government ministries on Friday to discuss further steps to respond to the sinking of a tour boat in the Danube River in Budapest.

In Seoul, officials from the foreign, interior, oceans and defense ministries as well as the National Police Agency convened a meeting to discuss further steps to respond to the accident.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho expressed deep condolences to the families whose loved ones have been affected by the sinking. He said a South Korean response team is on the ground in Hungary and is inspecting the site of the accident and assisting rescue efforts.

The vice minister added that the government has requested assistance from Serbia, Croatia and Romania -- all of which border Hungary -- to find the missing passengers and had secured their cooperation.

He said it was regretful that poor weather conditions and strong river currents have hampered search and rescue efforts, but added that the government will continue to monitor the situation and devise appropriate response measures.