'Bulgaria' Boat with over 170 People Sinks in Russia's Volga

The double-deck ship was built in Czechoslovakia in 1955. Photo by tehnotour.ru

A cruise ship named Bulgaria, carrying over 170 people aboard, sank in Russia's Volga river on Sunday afternoon, the emergency ministry announced.

"Seventy-eight people have been rescued by the passing ship Arabella. One woman died," the ministry spokesman Marat Rakhmatullin said, as cited by Russian media.

The Bulgaria sank in the middle of the river in the Volga region near the village of Syukeyevo in the Kansko-Ustinovsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan on Sunday afternoon.

There were 173 people onboard when the boat went down.

A helicopter and two rescue boats are currently working on the scene of the incident.

The double-deck ship was built in Czechoslovakia in 1955 and its maximum capacity was 140 passengers.

The cruise ship had two restaurants, a bar, a music lounge, a beach deck and 1, 2, 3 and 4-seat cabins and one luxurious cabin.

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