Final death toll in Russia's sunken cruise vessel set at 122

[News_Editor]

Final death toll in Russia's sunken cruise vessel set at 122

2011-07-25 20:01:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- The final death toll in Russia's sunken vessel in the Volga River was set at 122, officials said Monday, after finding the last two bodies.

According to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, all of the missing bodies involved in the 'Bulgaria' cruise ship, which sunk on Sunday July 10 with 201 people on board, were found, RIA Novosti reported. A ministry spokesman confirmed that the last two bodies had been recovered, according to the list of passengers on the Bulgaria.

The 1955 twin-deck cruise vessel was near the village of Syukeyevo in the Kansko-Ustinovsky district of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan when it sunk. It was lying some 20 meters (65.6 feet) under water when rescue teams pulled it out last Friday. Eight more bodies were then discovered when it was towed to shallow waters on Saturday.

The Russian Investigation Committee said two people have already been charged over the incident - general director of the company that rented the cruise boat Svetlana Inyakina, and river fleet inspector Yakov Ivashov, who certified and approved the Bulgaria to sail. Both face charges of providing unsafe services causing the deaths of two or more people. However, investigations are ongoing, as the exact cause of the accident remains uncertain.

According to media reports immediately following the incident, 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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