Hungarian Duck survivors head home from a painful experience

Five days after a crash on the Delaware River that claimed two of their own - and forever shaped the rest - a group of Hungarian students and teachers are to return home today.

The Rev. Scott Widmer, pastor of the Marshallton United Methodist Church, which sponsored the group, said that despite the students' early departure there's now a bond that will forever tie the Hungarians to their American counterparts.

"All of them almost lost their lives together," he said. "There is no Hungary team or American team, it is a team - one group."

The 13 students and two teachers from Hungary and the four American students and three adult sponsors accounted for 22 of 37 tourists who were on board a Ride the Ducks vessel when it became disabled in the Delaware River and was struck by a barge being pushed by a tugboat Wednesday afternoon.

All but two people survived the crash, including Capt. Gary Fox and a deckhand. On Friday, the bodies of Hungarian students Dora Schwendtner, 16, and Szabolcs Prem, 20, were recovered from the river.

Throughout the weekend, Schwendtner and Prem were mourned in memorials held on both sides of the Atlantic, from Philadelphia to their hometown of Mosonmagyaróvár.

Jeff Moran, spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, said that autopsies determined that both died of accidental drowning. He said that they were identified by other members of their group through personal effects.

Last night, it was not clear when their bodies would be returned to Hungary.

A service at Marshallton United Methodist Church, near West Chester, yesterday was dedicated not only to their short lives but also to the Hungarian students who survived the horrific ordeal.

"This was the first chance that our congregation and the community was really able to surround them both physically as well as with prayers of support," Widmer said.

Two handmade cards, each measuring "about a foot-and-a-half tall and 12 inches wide," were set up for strangers and friends to leave messages of support, he said. By the end of the worship, they were filled to the brim with writing, Widmer said. They will be taken back to Hungary and given to Schwendtner and Prem's families.

Widmer said that in the immediate aftermath of the accident, the students all wanted to stick together, and the main goal was to "support them and make sure they had shelter and food."

But as the days have passed, the students have allowed themselves to enjoy some activities, like a tour of an American high school and a slip-and-slide party, Widmer said. The latest decision for the students was whether they wanted to visit Amish country or go to a mall.

"As of [Saturday] night, they were split," he said.

By all appearances, life was also getting back to normal yesterday at Penn's Landing, where the 2010 Hispanic Fiesta drew a large crowd, upbeat music and dozens of vendors.

But for some, including Patrick Ferrer and his wife, Nancy, of Glassboro, N.J., the absence of the ever-present Duck boats on the water was an eerie reminder of last week's crash.

"It's just so sad," Ferrer said. "We were thinking how it happened right here and how it's so weird not to see the Duck boats today."

Ferrer pointed out several fowl swimming in the water to his wife.

"That's the only ducks you're going to see in this water for a while," he said.

As the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the crash continued this weekend with interviews of the tugboat crew, Ride the Ducks resumed operations in all but two of its cities: Philadelphia and Newport, Ky.

NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said that interviews with the tugboat's five crew members, which began Saturday, were expected to be completed yesterday.

He said that questions would focus on what crew members heard and saw, and on where they were at the time of the accident.

The agency also began reviewing the Duck boat wreckage Saturday in a secure location, he said.

Bob Salmon, vice president of marketing and sales for Ride the Ducks, said that the voluntary suspension of operations and a review of the company's fleet and operating procedure nationwide didn't turn up any problems.

He said that they had not reopened the Philadelphia operations because of ongoing cooperation with the NTSB and out of "respect for the families." He said that the Newport, Ky., branch was not open because it is the company's smallest operation and not a high priority.

Of those that reopened Saturday, in Branson, Mo., San Francisco and Atlanta, none saw a noticeable decline in ridership, Salmon said. "We felt like we had a normal operation in those three markets."