Death toll reaches 100 in sunken Bulgarian vessel in Russia

[News_Editor]

Death toll reaches 100 in sunken Bulgarian vessel in Russia

2011-07-13 21:22:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll of the sunken Bulgarian vessel in Russia's Volga River has risen to 100, as rescue operations expand their search areas, officials said Wednesday.

The Russian Emergency Ministry told RIA Novosti that the confirmed number of deaths rose to 100, while 29 people remained unaccounted for. Family members have already identified 90 of the incident's fatal victims, which includes the names of 19 children.

The 1955 twin-deck Bulgarian cruise vessel, which was carrying 208 people, including 99 women, 43 children and 66 men, sank on Sunday at around 2 p.m. local time near the village of Syukeyevo in the Kansko-Ustinovsky district of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.

Meanwhile, Tatarstan's Presidential office said the search area would be increased by 190 kilometers (118 miles) downstream in the Volga River. Currently, over 1,000 people are working at the scene of the accident, including 195 divers, but the office also stated that the salvage teams would be increased as well.

The vessel, which was constructed over 50 years ago, had its last renovation done some 30 years ago and lacked license and paperwork for carrying passengers. In addition, the vessel had several safety discrepancies, including a broken engine and extreme overloading.

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