Bulgarian Prosecutor Obtains Partial Ohrid Tragedy Docs

A Macedonian police boat tows the recovered sunken boat 'Ilinden,' into the Ohrid marina on September 19, 2009, two weeks after the tragic boath accident in Ohrid Lake when 15 Bulgarian tourists lost their lives. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office has been able to obtain part of the requested documents from the case of the sinking of Macedonian tour boat Ilinden.

15 Bulgarian citizens found their death on September 5, 2009, in the sinking of the obsolete "Ilinden" ship in the waters of the Ohrid Lake.

Soon after that the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office began a parallel probe of the incident and sent an official request to Skopje to provide documentation.

Some of the requested documents have been received just days ago, including copies of the autopsy reports, of the search of the site of the incident, and of the 100-pages technical inspection of the sunken ship.

All autopsy reports list drowning as cause of death, and do not mention the lack of timely medical help.

Bulgarian lawyers for the families of the victims, cited by the Bulgarian news agency BTA, say the reports have significant oversights, and there is a possibility some of the casualties were still alive after they were taken out of the water.

Bulgarian legal experts explain it is possible to try the ship's captain Sotir Fileski in Bulgaria, even in his absence.

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