Sinking of Bulgaria
 Salvage operation of Bulgaria on 17 July 2011 | |
| Date | 10 July 2011 |
|---|---|
| Time | 13:58 Moscow time (09:58 UTC) |
| Location | |
| Cause | Negligence of the crew |
| Deaths | 122
|
| Injuries | 14 |
On 10 July 2011, the passenger ship Bulgaria was traveling in Tatarstan on the Volga River when she was caught in a storm and sank at about 13:58 Moscow time (09:58 UTC), several hours after beginning her cruise.[1]
Survivors say that during the cruise, Bulgaria encountered stormy weather, and listed sharply to starboard. This was apparently compounded by the captain trying to turn the boat around, and soon water rushed into the vessel through portholes that had been opened because the ship had no air conditioning. According to a survivor, the sinking came without warning, and the vessel "listed to starboard ... and capsized and sank. The boat sank within minutes, plunging nearly 20 metres (66 ft) to the river bed.[2][3] The sinking occurred about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from shore, in the Kamsko-Ustyinsky District.[4]
Causes
Preliminary investigations found that safety violations may have contributed to the accident.[5][6] One survivor of the incident indicated that the crew had locked or sealed off the vessel's emergency exit doors, while investigators believe that the vessel left with a list to the starboard, likely from either sewage tanks or fuel tanks on the starboard side being full and thus resulting in lower than maximum performance from one or more engines.[7]
Casualties
At the time of the incident, Bulgaria's total complement of passengers and crew is estimated to have been at 201, though she was only rated to carry 120. On 11 July 2011, a government official from the Ministry of Emergency Situations said that the likelihood of finding additional survivors was slim, leaving a presumed total of up to 129 dead.[7][8]
Seventy-nine people (56 passengers and 23 crew members) were reported to have survived.[9] Of those, 76 were rescued by the cruise ship Arabella, a few others were saved by other boats, and one swam to the shore.[6]
Reaction
President Dmitry Medvedev on 11 July ordered "a complete check on all means of passenger transport" in Russia in response to the sinking of Bulgaria, and also declared 12 July a national day of mourning for those killed in the incident.[10]
References
- ↑ "Sunken cruise ship left port listing with broken engine". RIA Novosti. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ "Cruise deaths likely to top 100 as safety violations emerge". The Independent. UK. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
- ↑ "100 missing after cruiser sinks on river Volga". The Independent. UK. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ "According to preliminary data 84 people have been rescued from 173 on board of the sunk ship in Volga River. One woman died Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Ministry of Emergency Situations. Retrieved on 12 July 2011.
- ↑ "Doors may have been locked shut as cruise ship sank in storm". www.independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
- 1 2 "At Least 129 Dead in Volga River Tragedy | News | The Moscow Times". www.themoscowtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
- 1 2 "Volga river boat sinking: rescuers give up hope of finding more survivors". The Guardian. UK. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ "At Least 129 Dead in Volga River Tragedy". The Moscow Times. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ "Death toll in Volga boat tragedy reaches 54, over 50 missing". RIA Novosti. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ "Russian review after boat tragedy". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2025-12-03.