Bulgaria Charges Organizer of Ill-Fated Macedonian Trip

The boat Ilinden that sank is seen at the bottom of Ohrid Lake in Macedonia, 05 September 2009. Fifteen Bulgarians died when the tour boat capsized in Ohrid Lake. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The prosecutor's office has raised charges against the organizer of the fatal trip to the Ohrid Lake in September last year, when fifteen Bulgarians died as the tour boat “Ilinden” sank.

Boryana Georgieva has offered services as a tour operator even though she was not licensed to do so, the charges read.

Fifteen Bulgarians died on September 5, 2009 when an ageing tourist boat sank within seconds into Macedonia's Lake Ohrid, a popular attraction in the Balkans.

The Iliden was 200 metres from shore when it apparently capsized into the deepest lake in the region -- famous for its turquoise waters -- at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT) near a campground outside Ohrid city.

The tourists were on their way to the St Naum monastery complex.

At the beginning of March, the Macedonian authorities closed the investigation into the sinking of the tourist boat, but the outcome remains unknown.

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