Extraordinary checks of river boats to be carried out in Bashkortostan

Technical condition of all river boats will be checked in the Republic. This is the decision, made by the Prime-Minister of the Government RB Azamat Ilimbetov at today’s operative gathering. The decision is explained by the recent crash of the steamship “Bulgaria”, which occurred on Sunday, July 10, in Tatarstan on Volga, three kilometers from the bank during a thunderstorm, accompanied with heavy raining and strong wind. The boat took a list to the right board and sunk. According to official information 142 passengers and 33 crew members were found on its board that moment. According to another data the number of the people on board might reach 200 together with the registered passengers. 80 people are saved and the rest considered missing.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry reports more than 300 specialists are working on the site of the catastrophe now and the field of searching operations is about 20 kilometers long. The wrecked steamship “Bulgaria” had been constructed in Czechoslovakia in 1955.