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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > REPORT FINDS SUNKEN RUSSIAN RIVERBOAT HAD ILLEGAL NUMBER OF HOLES IN HULL
REPORT FINDS SUNKEN RUSSIAN RIVERBOAT HAD ILLEGAL NUMBER OF HOLES IN HULL
August 11 2011
Moscow, Russia – Investigators studying the sinking of the riverboat ‘Bulgaria’, a ship which sank last month killing at least 122 people, have determined that holes in the hull likely contributed to the disaster. Government officials have denied the claim by investigators, but the reports do indicate that the holes in the hull of vessel were well beyond norms and legal limits.
The vessel sank on July 11 in the Volga River with 201 people on board. Among the dead were at least 50 children. The holes in the hull were apparently 2-3 times the legally allowed limit on Russian vessels, openings which likely contributed to the disaster.
“We believe there were many factors that contributed to the sinking and the death toll. The ship was very much overloaded, by perhaps as many as eighty people which would have caused it ride lower in the water. We believe that the larger holes would have been above sea level had the boat not been overloaded,” said one investigator who preferred to remain anonymous. “The holes were also much larger than normally allowed which allowed water to rush in a much higher rate than would be safe. There were other contributing factors, such as full sewage tanks and doors which had been welded shut, but we believe the size of the holes were a major factor.”
The crew also apparently opened porthole windows during a storm, which likely wouldn’t have helped.
“These are unofficial right now of course but we believe firmly that the size of the holes were a major factor in the sinking. This is of course very embarrassing to the government which has very strict rules on the size and number of holes allowed in ship hulls, but enforcement has not been great,” continued the investigator. “This is major embarrassment to many people in the government and I’m sure they would rather believe that this was a result of crew error or some other factor, but we believe that the principle cause for the sinking was indeed the size and number of holes which were in excess of official limits.”
The Investigative Committee has denied any firm findings on the cause of the sinking and refused to acknowledge the hole theory.
“The investigators believe that the reference to anonymous experts is deliberately used to influence the public opinion, with the view of exempting the officials who are under criminal investigation from criminal persecution, as well as other persons who may be arraigned in the near future,” said a spokesperson for the committee. “In this connection, the Investigative Committee officially states that it will be possible to ascertain the cause of the sinking after the navigation and engineering/technical expert examination, which is being carried out at present. Procedural decisions to follow will take into account the expert commission's conclusions.”
It’s not clear what size holes are allowed on Russian vessels. The ship was built in the form Czechoslovakia in 1955 when size restrictions on holes were much more lax.
“This is a disaster and it is our finding that these holes made it happen. We hope the committee will see it that way as well,” concluded the investigator.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
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