Mourners remember two Hungarians who drowned

With powerful rain storms above them - and chilling memories behind - survivors of Wednesday's boat accident on the Delaware River gathered Saturday to remember its victims.

About 100 mourners - friends and strangers, dignitaries and teachers - assembled at the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing, near the site of the crash, for an hour-long service honoring 16-year old Dora Schwendtner and 20-year old Szabolcs Prem, the Hungarian students killed when their tourist boat was struck by a barge Wednesday afternoon.

"We have come today to mourn their deaths and, more importantly, celebrate their lives," Mayor Michael Nutter said. "May God bless their young lives and unfilled potential."

Flanked by photographs of the victims and wreaths festooned with ribbons of red, white, and green - the colors of the Hungarian flag - Nutter apologized to the survivors on behalf of the city. Many had traveled to the United States through Atlantic Bridge, a Dutch organization that connects international students with American host churches. This was the first of what was intended to be a three-week trip.

Though no family members attended, according to Hungarian ambassador Bela Szombati, friends and teachers from the program filled the first several rows of the museum auditorium. Some dressed in black; others donned T-shirts and shorts - the sort of summer ensemble they'd worn aboard the Ride the Ducks vehicle in Wednesday's sweltering heat.

Szombati traveled from Washington, D.C., to eulogize the pair in two languages.

"Words mean little in these moments," he said, looking towards the students. "We may find technical explanation, but that doesn't make it easier to accept."

John Oostdyk, director of Atlantic Bridge, spoke of his first meetings with Prem and Schwendtner over two years ago. Both were shy, he recalled, but each "blossomed with joy and confidence" over time, developing a love of travel.

"They wanted to come to America," he said, "to experience culture, meet American young people, and understand the lifestyle of Christians and American churches."

At the conclusion of the service, mourners collected two long-stemmed white roses from a bin on the auditorium stage, placing one beneath the photographs of Prem and Schwendtner and keeping the other to toss into the river later. Nutter laid the first flower, pausing to run his fingers along the pictures, and those closest to the victims followed - some locking hands and elbows as they struggled to fend off tears.

Shortly after one, the group trudged through the rain to the ferry docks outside the museum. With Nutter at their side, the victims' teachers heaved four wreaths into the thrashing waters. Strong currents dragged them north, initially, towards the site of the collision.

As gatherers exchanged hugs and goodbyes on the Penn's Landing plaza, the students, one by one, dropped their roses off the pier.

"This is almost unbearable [for them]," Szombati said. "They just want to be reunited with their families as quickly as possible."

Eighty-eight year old Susanne Kemenes, of Northeast Philadelphia, did not know the victims, but hailed from the same Hungarian region, she said. Though the service was private, she flashed a lapel pin of interlocking American and Hungarian flags to gain entry and express her solidarity.

"The last three days, I was not able to sleep," she said, shuffling toward the waterfront for a final look at the roses. "I am old. I am going. But I am sorry for the young people. They had a future."

Contact staff writer Matt Flegenheimer at 215-854-5614 and mflegenheimer@phillynews.com.