More and more Bulgarians take advantage of short holidays to embark on brief trips abroad. The 2-day trip of 55 Bulgarians from a few towns and a village in the countryside ended with a horrible tragedy. On Saturday, 15 of them, a child among them, died after the sightseeing boat Ilinden sank about 200 to 300m from the shore of Lake Ohrid. The boat sank extremely quickly – within 4 minutes. One of the versions claims it was due to the boat being overcrowded because it had been licensed to carry maximum 45 passengers. Experts however say the reason for the accident was a torn metal rope used for the boat’s balance. Another reason put forward is the age of the ship built in 1922. Bulgarian and Macedonian authorities have agreed on a parallel investigation while Macedonian transport minister has resigned.

For the first time in as many years, the Bulgarian state has responded adequately to a tragedy but sending instant help to its citizens in dire condition. The country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has set up a crisis camp to work on the tragedy. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov ordered a government airplane to bring survivors back. On the way back, they were consulted by accompanying psychologists, anesthesiologists and doctors from Military Medical Academy as well as health ministry operatives. Those who needed medical aid were taken to the facilities of the Military Medical Academy in Sofia. The rest were transported back to their homes. Local authorities said they would cover funeral expenses while families of victims would receive 5,000 euro each. A military aircraft transported relatives of victims to Macedonia for identification.

All public events marking the 124th year of Bulgaria’s Unification have been cancelled. Flags are lowered at half-mast.

Written by: Rumyana Tsvetkova
English version: Delian Zahariev