Fifteen die when Macedonian tourist boat sinks
Ferry Online Travel News 07/09/2009
Foreign tourists were reportedly among those killed when the boat sunk on Saturday morning.
A government spokesman confirmed the deaths to CNN, adding that there were three other passengers that were in critical condition.
The ship sank approximately 200 metres from the shore of Lake Ohrid late on Saturday morning, according to Ivo Kotevski, speaking on behalf of Macedonia’s interior ministry.
He said: “So far we have pulled 15 bodies out of the water, but the search for more casualties is still ongoing.”
The spokesman added that 54 people had been rescued and had been moved to a local hotel where they are being treated.
Authorities noted that they did not know the identities of the passengers that died, but it was believed that a group of tourists from Bulgaria were among those killed.
It was reported that the lake was calm when the accident occurred, and Kotevski said that there was speculation that the boat may have been carrying too many passengers.
He added: “The ship, which was made in the 1930s, was examined in May this year. Everything was fine with the ship and it was given a license to operate for another year.”
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