Toll in Russia ship capsize rises to 54 (Lead)
July 11th, 2011 - 9:15 pm ICT by IANSMoscow, July 11 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Rescuers searching the wreck of a Russian cruise ship that sank in the Volga river Sunday have recovered 53 bodies, officials said Monday. One woman was found dead Sunday.
Over 50 people are still missing, the regional emergencies centre said.
A total of 79 people were rescued from the twin-deck Bulgaria vessel that sank Sunday at 0958 GMT in Kansko-Ustinovsky district of Tatarstan region.
The ship was on a trip from Bolgar to the port city of Kazan.
The 56-year-old vessel - with a legal maximum capacity of 120 - was carrying 207 people onboard, including 25 unregistered passengers, the emergencies ministry said.
The Russian Prosecutor’s Office said the ship had no licence for carrying passengers. It had a number of safety faults, including a broken engine.
The transport ministry, however, said the vessel had cleared a regular technical inspection June 15 and was certified fit for use.
It said the Bulgaria may not have had enough life-saving equipment for all those onboard. The ship had rafts for 120 people, and two lifeboats for 36 people, as well as 165 life vests for adults and 12 for children.
Witnesses said the vessel rolled on its right side and sank in around eight minutes.
The ship may have flooded rapidly due to open portholes, the Investigation Committee said.
President Dmitry Medvedev expressed condolences in a Twitter post to the relatives of those who died in the incident.
Medvedev has declared July 12 a day of mourning for the deceased.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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Tags: bolgar, condolences, cruise ship, dg, dmitry medvedev, emergencies, faults, investigation committee, kazan, life vests, lifeboats, maximum capacity, moscow, rafts, rescuers, ria novosti, russian cruise, russian prosecutor, transport ministry, volga river