At least fifty eight people were confirmed dead and more than 100 missing as the cruise ship Bulgaria shank amid strong wind plus heavy rain on the Volga, Europe's longest river with up to 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide in places, on Sunday, July 10, 2011.
Rescue workers have been trying to search more survivors, but the chance of finding those who alive is very small.
According to Irina Andrianova, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman, 80 people had been saved, including 77 brought to shore by another tourist boat named Arabella that passed by over an hour after the sinking.
The cruise boat Bulgaria was built in 1955 in Czechoslovakia. It belongs to a local tourism company
A remain of the boat floats on the water of the Volga River
A rescue operation has been conducted by the Emergencies Ministry to search more survivors
The ship was believed to have sunk in several minutes, so very few of the passengers had time to put on a life vest. A regional emergencies center's spokesman said that up to 50 children could have been trapped in the Bulgaria’s music room.
Rescue workers are finding survivors on the Volga River
Rescue operations at the riverboat Bulgaria accident site
Families of the victims tiredly sit on the Kazan Port to hear information from the rescue operation
The 56-year-old river boat may not have enough life-saving equipment for all those on board with life rafts for 120 people, two lifeboats for 36 people, as well as 165 life vests for adults and 12 for children.
The ship sank about three kilometers (two miles) from shore in about 20 meters (65 feet) of water
A ministry list of the rescued shows all were Russians, so it was unclear whether foreigners were aboard or not
River cruise boats such as the Bulgaria are highly popular among Russian holiday-makers
According to Russia's Union of Tourism Industry, the Bulgaria had not been inspected or retrofitted for years
Thousands of people gather at the scene of the accident to hope for miracles
A rescued man bursts into tears when he meets his family
The cause of the sinking was unclear
Volga Boat Sinking: At Least 58 Dead, Over 50 Missing (Latest News)
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Volga Boat Sinking: At Least 58 Dead, Over 50 Missing (Latest News)