Bulgaria shipwreck in Volga River

According to the Crisis Management Centre of the Republic of Tatarstan, the ship "Bulgaria" sank 13.58 Moscow time near the village of Syukeevo Kansk-Ustinovskii region of Tatarstan. On the double-decked ship "Bulgaria" were 173 people: 140 passengers and 33 crew members, although there is evidence that on board, "Bulgaria" initially were 182 people. While officially confirmed the death of a woman, which was a passenger of "Bulgaria".

As said the head of the press service of the Volga Regional Emergency Center, Oleg Zugeev, due to the fact, that the ship "Bulgaria" sank in minutes, many people have been found on rafts and other improvised boats. While there are no official causes of the crash, but according to witnesses from the ship "Arabella", the 2-deck ship "Bulgaria" suddenly banked sharply and overturned. As eyewitnesses said, ship "Bulgaria" sank in just two minutes.

According to a Center for Crisis Management of the Republic of Tatarstan, all injured trafficked to Kazan on three-deck ship "Arabella." But one injured in critical condition had to be taken to the district hospital in the nearby city of Bolgar. Also, from Kazan to the place of shipwreck is intended ship "OM-249" to assist rescuers in search and rescue of people. At least, now the fate of three people who were in the time of the accident on the ship "Bulgaria" is still unknown.

As reported the Center for Crisis Management of the Republic of Tatarstan, ship "Bulgaria" made regular cruises from the city of Kazan to city of Bolgar and sank a few miles from the coast at a depth of 20 meters at the Kuibyshev reservoir near the village of Syukeevo. Sunken ship "Bulgaria" is owned by the tourist company "VodaFlot" created in early 2009, which currently organizes cruises on the Volga river in three vessels, but the main office is located in Moscow.

Were immediately called the unofficial cause of the accident, associated with a fairly large age-ship "Bulgaria", as this ship can be rightfully called the grandfather of the Russian river fleet. Ship "Bulgaria" refers to a project 785 on: diesel-electric type of "Russia", which only the period from 1952 to 1958, were built 36 vessels. All ships were assigned names in honor of the Soviet republics, the prominent Russian and Soviet composers and writers. Ship "Bulgaria" was built in 1955 in Czechoslovakia, and on unconfirmed reports, called "Ukraine." Although the ship "Bulgaria" according to the documents meet all safety requirements of river navigation of the Russian Federation and was equipped with modern navigation equipment. The maximum speed of the ship, "Bulgaria" was up to 22 km / h, which allowed him to use as a cruise ship. According to the standards, the number of seats ship "Bulgaria" is one hundred and forty. Hotel services and facilities were one, two, three and four-berth cabins with partial conveniences, as well as luxury cabins. On board of ship "Bulgaria" there were two cabin restaurants, 2 bars, a music room and a solarium.

Perpetrators of the incident will set later in the investigation. Earlier, on the orders of the Minister of Health of Tatarstan Airat Farrahova, all hospitals in Kama-Ust'insky, Tetyushsky and Spassky districts were prepared to receive victims of the disaster the ship "Bulgaria." All the injured that were previously saved and brought ashore, has provided first aid, with psychologists. A few dozen passengers with children sent to nearby hospitals. In the Main Directorate of Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in Tatarstan was immediately set up an operational headquarters. For the relatives of the passengers and crew of sunken ship "Bulgaria" the phone hot line is used: (843) 227-46-56. As the Center for Crisis Management of the Republic of Tatarstan, during a rescue operation near the village of Syukeevo Kansk-Ustinovskii region of Tatarstan working Mi-8 helicopter and two rescue emergency boats. According to rescue workers involved in the operation, first of all the rescuers were getting out of the water children, was also investigated by the shore in the hope that some of the injured were able to get to him before. Rescue operations are continuing and now receives conflicting data about the number of survivors.
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