Russian boat Bulgaria sinks on Volga

[Feuer Frei!]

More than 100 people, many of them children, are feared dead after a tourist boat sank in central Russia.
Dozens were rescued after the accident on the River Volga in Tatarstan, about 750km (450 miles) east of Moscow.
At least six deaths are confirmed, but reports say divers have seen numerous bodies inside the sunken vessel.
At least 199 passengers and crew were believed to be on the Bulgaria, which was sailing from the town of Bulgar to the regional capital, Kazan.
Hopes of finding survivors faded as rescuers worked through the night.
Bad weather, mechanical failure on the aged craft and overcrowding have all been cited as possible reasons why the boat sank.
Nearly 50 Russian divers were scouring the murky river early on Monday and Russian media reports suggested they had seen many bodies inside the sunken ship.
Igor Panshin, head of the Emergencies Ministry's Volga Regional Centre, was shown commenting on NTV: "[The divers] were tapping on the hull in hope of getting possible replies. Unfortunately, none came.
"They have now shone light into the holds and the restaurants, and they see that there are [dead bodies of] people inside."
There was little hope of finding more survivors.
The Bulgaria - a 55-year-old vessel which is believed to be owned by a local tourism company - was on a two-day cruise when it got into difficulty at about 1400 on Sunday (1000 GMT), sinking within minutes, says our correspondent.
The 80m (260ft) boat sank several kilometres from the shore near the village of Sukeyevo, about 80km south of Kazan.
One survivor described it as "a bad ship, a very old ship", which had already been listing to starboard when it set sail.


"She went under in three minutes," said the survivor, Nikolai Chernov. "There were no announcements or anything, she just listed to starboard and capsized and sank. That was it."
About 80 people survived the accident, most of them rescued by another pleasure boat that was passing nearby.
However, one survivor revealed that before they were finally rescued other ships had refused to come to their aid.
Weeping survivors draped in blankets were shown on state TV, while relatives gathered at a port in Kazan waiting for news of their loved ones.
"My son-in-law telephoned to say that he held out his hand to his wife but she could not grab on," one man told Rossiya 24 state television. "He could not pull her out."
Around 30 children had gathered in a play area on deck just before the boat went down, said one survivor, who feared all may have drowned.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an investigation into the incident.


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[FIREWALL]

Very sad news.

very sad, I wonder what caused this?

[Krauter]

That's a tragedy. Let's hope something like never occurs again

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by sidslotm

very sad, I wonder what caused this?

Well, an indication is that the vessel wasn't even sea-worthy:

One survivor described it as "a bad ship, a very old ship", which had already been listing to starboard when it set sail.

And this didn't help the cause at all:

one survivor revealed that before they were finally rescued other ships had refused to come to their aid.

Let's see what the investigation brings.
Negligence is certainly top of the list here.

[Feuer Frei!]

What a disaster!

Update:

Negligence claim The Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation, amid suspicions that negligence contributed to the tragedy.
Russian media report that the boat was overcrowded and that one of its two engines was not working.
Investigators quoted by Itar-Tass news agency said that even before the boat had set sail from Bolgary to Kazan on Sunday one of its two engines had malfunctioned and the vessel had been listing.
The 80m (260ft) boat sank several kilometres from the shore near the village of Sukeyevo, about 80km south of Kazan.





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[Jimbuna]

Could well be negligence brought about by lack of maintenance and non adherence to whatever safety requirements are supposed to be.

[Feuer Frei!]

Update:

Officials say the boat's capacity was 120 passengers and crew, but it had been carrying 208 people on Sunday

At a government meeting on Monday Mr Medvedev called for "a complete check on all means of passenger transport". Russia had too many "old rust tubs", he complained.

He declared Tuesday a day of mourning across Russia for the Volga River victims

Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said the boat was overcrowded, carrying 208 people, of whom 25 had not been registered as passengers

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My condolences to those affected. May the deceased RIP.

[Krauter]

Wow, didn't even make much headway in the trip...

What a shame

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Krauter

Wow, didn't even make much headway in the trip...

What a shame

Probably adds weight to just how bad a condition she was in.

[AVGWarhawk]

I don't think this is the first time we have seen ship capsize from overloading. Bad decision to load more than could be handled.

As far as the broken engine...what was the captain thinking?

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

I don't think this is the first time we have seen ship capsize from overloading. Bad decision to load more than could be handled.

As far as the broken engine...what was the captain thinking?

An extra fat pay day because of the additional 80+ people on board?

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

An extra fat pay day because of the additional 80+ people on board?

I would say. Passenger carriership generates more money.

[Oberon]

Another case of profit overruling safety I'd wager, such a terrible shame.

[Jimbuna]

If that does turn out to be the case I wouldn't like to be in that skippers shoes