Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has expressed his condolences to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev over the sinking of the MS Bulgaria, in which over 100 people, many children, drowned.
"I am asking you, Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich, on behalf of the Ukrainian people and from me personally to convey our sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims, and wish a speedy recovery to all those who were injured [in the accident]," the presidential press service said, quoting Yanukovych’s letter.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, on behalf of Ukraine’s government, sent a telegram of condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
"On behalf of the government of Ukraine and me personally, please accept our deepest sympathy over the accident with the Bulgaria, which took place in Tatarstan," reads the letter posted on the government’s Web site.
As reported, the MS Bulgaria, with 208 people aboard sank on the Volga in Tatarstan on Sunday.
As of Monday noon, 80 people had been rescued. Nine of them were taken to hospital, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
By 1430 Moscow time, the bodies of 41 people who died in the MS Bulgaria sinking had been brought to the surface.
The press service of the Udmurtian rescue service reported on Monday that there were about 110 dead bodies, 30 of the children, inside the Bulgaria cruise ship.
