Sunken boat ‘was overloaded’

Russian Emergencies Ministry members take part in the operation to search for the missing people from the tourist boat "Bulgaria" on the Volga river in Russia's Tatarstan region.

Russian Emergencies Ministry members take part in the operation to search for the missing people from the tourist boat "Bulgaria" on the Volga river in Russia's Tatarstan region.

Published Jul 11, 2011

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Gorki, Russia - A tourist boat that sank in Russia's Volga river was overloaded, with 208 people on board, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday.

Shoigu told President Dmitry Medvedev that there was almost no hope of finding any more survivors. He said 80 people had been rescued.

Medvedev, speaking at his Gorki residence outside Moscow, said that Russia would hold a day of mourning on Tuesday and added that the boat accident would not have happened if safety procedures had been properly observed. - Reuters

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