12th July was declared the day of national mourning, following the sinking of the Bulgaria ship on the river Volga on Sunday, July 10.

The ship was servicing a two-day cruise on the route Kazan-Bulgar-Kazan when it sank in the storm. Out of 208 people who boarded the ship, 71 are now confirmed as dead, possibly including children. The savers are presently working on the site, uncovering the debris of the children's room aboard the ship. 79 people were saved.

This tragic event, the officials argue, could have been avoided, had it not been for the notorious Russian corruption. As the postfactum ship survey concluded, the Bulgaria was overboarded, and there were not enough lifeboats to take all passengers ashore. Interestingly, 25 passengers were not registered for boarding.

This is yet another one in the line of transportation accidents that raises questions about the state of the Soviet transport inherited by modern Russia. The President Dmitry Medvedev has already called for withdrawal of TU-134 after a series of plane crashes that took scores of lives. Antonov-24 looks to follow in TU-134 footsteps after its engine caught fire and was forced to ditch in the water; five people died in the accident. Now, it appears that even on water there is little security for travellers. The commentators duly wonder how all these events are going to affect the Russian tourism industry.

Sources:

RBC.RU, Interfax.ru, The Standard, Russia 1 TV Channel.