Russian Boat Sinks on Volga, 9 Confirmed Dead, 100 Remain Missing

Posted July 11th, 2011 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
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Russian authorities say there is little chance of finding any more survivors from an overloaded tourist boat that sank Sunday in the Volga River, leaving at least 100 people missing. Nine bodies have been recovered so far.

About 80 people were rescued or swam to shore.

Officials say they fear many of the missing passengers are children.

Survivors say the overloaded boat was a very old ship that started listing to the side within moments of setting sail in rain and wind. They say it sank within minutes, giving the crew little time to take action.

The boat went down in the Volga River about 750 kilometers east of Moscow in the republic of Tatarstan. The Volga is Europe's largest river and a popular tourist destination.