Russian boat sinks, dozens of kids missing

MOSCOW - Rescuers scoured the wide waters of a Volga River reservoir on Monday, searching with dimming hopes for survivors after an aged, overloaded cruise ship sank amid wind and rain. Forty-one people were confirmed dead and more than 80 remained missing.

The vessel, more than a half-century old, was carrying 208 people when it went down about two miles offshore in a huge reservoir formed by the Volga near the major city of Kazan.

Officials say it was licensed to carry only 120, but it was not immediately clear if the apparent 75-percent overload contributed to the accident. News reports say local investigators have determined that the boat was listing to starboard and having engine trouble even when it started out on the excursion..

Officials said the boat sank in eight minutes.

Eighty survivors have been rescued. A ministry list of the rescued shows all were Russians; it was unclear if any foreigners were aboard.

River cruise boats such as the Bulgaria are highly popular among Russian holiday-makers, conducting cruises ranging from a couple of days to two weeks.

Many children were aboard the boat, and Russian news reports cite survivors as saying about 50 children had gathered in the ship's entertainment hall shortly before it sank Sunday afternoon.

One survivor told the national news channel Vesti 24 that other ships refused to come to their aid.

"Two ships did not stop, although we waved our hands," said the man in his 40s, who stood on the shore amid weeping passengers, some of them wrapped in towels and blankets. He held another man, who was weeping desperately.

Emergency teams and divers from neighboring regions rushed to the site of the tragedy, 450 miles east of Moscow.

The Volga, Europe's longest river, is up to 30 kilometers wide in places. The river is a popular tourist destination, especially in summer months.

The Bulgaria was built in 1955 in Czechoslovakia and belongs to a local tourism company. It was traveling from the town of Bulgar to the regional capital, Kazan.

A tourism expert said the lack of partitions inside the Bulgaria made it vulnerable to breaches.

"In case of an accident these ships sink within minutes," Dmitri Voropayev, head of the Samara Travel company, told RIA Novosti.

Russia's Union of Tourism Industry said the ship had not been inspected or retrofitted for years, according to the Interfax news agency.