Rescuers continue scouring River Volga in search of more survivors
More than 120 passengers and crew, many of them children, are still missing after a tourist boat sank in central Russia, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Tatarstan reported.
At least six deaths are confirmed, but reports say divers have seen numerous bodies inside the sunken vessel.
The Russian cruise ship Bulgaria which sank on Sunday afternoon in Russia's Volga River was carrying 199 people instead of the maximum 120 allowed by safety rules.
A total of 79 people were rescued after the accident on the Volga, about 750km (450 miles) east of Moscow. Bulgaria was reportedly sailing from the town of Bulgar to the regional capital, Kazan.
The twin-deck Bulgaria, which was sailing from the town of Bulgar to the regional capital, Kazan, sank near the village of Syukeyevo in the Kansko-Ustinovsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Bad weather, mechanical failure on the aged craft and overcrowding have all been cited as possible reasons for the ship's sinking.
A maximum 120 passengers are allowed on this type of the vessel, Volga Region emergencies ministry department head Igor Panshin, said earlier.
Nearly 307 divers are presently scouring the murky river. However, there is little hope of finding more survivors.
