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RUSSIA - Dozens still missing after cruise shipwreck

Published:Tuesday | July 12, 2011 | 12:00 AM
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Rescue workers come back from the place where a cruise ship sank in Kuibyshevsky Zaton, 120 km from Kazan, Russia, yesterday.
Relatives of passengers aboard the shipwreck react while waiting for fresh information at a river Station in Kazan.
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KAZAN (AP)

Rescuers scoured the wide waters of a Volga River reservoir yesterday, searching with dimming hopes for survivors after an aged, overloaded cruise ship sank amid wind and rain. Fifty-five people were confirmed dead, but dozens remained missing.

Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying yesterday that 208 people were believed to have been aboard the Bulgaria when it sank Sunday afternoon. That's nearly 75 per cent more than the 120 the boat was licensed to carry, officials said.

As of mid-afternoon, 41 bodies had been found, including five children, according to the regional Emergencies Ministry office.

The ministry said 79 survivors were rescued, all of them Russian; it was unclear whether any foreigners were aboard. River cruise boats such as the Bulgaria are highly popular among Russian holiday-makers, conducting cruises ranging from a few days to two weeks.