Eighty saved, over 100 missing as cruise ship sinks in Central Russia
MOSCOW. July 11. KAZINFORM Eighty out of 185 people on board of the Bulgaria cruise ship that sank in Russia's Volga River on Sunday afternoon were rescued, while 100 are still missing and five were found dead, a spokesperson for the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Monday.
According to RIA Novosti, two-decked Bulgaria, built in 1955, sank on Sunday at 13:58 Moscow time (09:58 GMT) near the village of Syukeyevo in the Kansko-Ustinovsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan.
"Eighty people were rescued with 79 of them taken to Kazan [the capital of Tatarstan]. Two people were taken on a cutter and 77 on the Arabella cruise ship that happened to be near the scene of the incident," the spokesperson said adding that 14 people were hospitalized, including one in grave condition.
Local health officials said that five of 14 hospitalized people were later discharged and allowed to go home.
Rescuers have so far recovered bodies of five people, including a child.
The spokesperson also said that currently 223 people, including 80 divers, are involved in the relief operation. The vessel rests at the depth of 20 meters (65.6 feet) about three kilometers (1.8 miles) from the nearest shore.
Details at http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110711/165121113.html