Putin: Negligence, Greed Caused Bulgaria Riverboat Tragedy

A woman grieves during a ceremony of commemoration of victims of the Bulgaria cruise boat sinking at the river port in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia 12 July 2011. EPA/BGNES

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has attributed the crash of the Bulgaria riverboat to irresponsibility, greed and gross violation of technological safety regulations.

In a July 13 media statement, as cited by the Voice of Russia, Putin demanded a thorough analysis of the breaches of safety regulations, urging harsh penalties for the guilty parties.

"It is terrible that dozens of people, including children, had to pay such a horrendous price for these vices," Putin told an emergency government session in Kazan earlier in the day.

On July 16, divers will launch an operation to lift the boat, which capsized and sank in minutes on the Volga River last Sunday.

On July 10, the Bulgaria riverboat carrying 208 passengers listed onto its right side during a thunderstorm and sank in minutes 3 km off the shore.

Only 79 people were rescued.

The accident occurred near the village of Syukeyevo in the Kansko-Ustinovsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The vessel, built in the former Czechoslovakia in 1955, had a capacity of 140 passengers, according to the website of the owner.

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