Video: Russia Raises Bulgaria Ruins, 122 Confirmed Dead

Russian rescue teams have raised the Bulgaria cruise ship from the bottom of the Volga River two weeks after the disastrous accident taking the lives of 122 people.  The emergency service efforts pulled the boat from the river-bed, towing it to more shallow waters and began to pump out water from the ship.  Moving the ship allowed the Russian government to confirm the death toll at 122 individuals, and hope that the wreckage will give more clues as to why the 56-year-old ship tragically sank.

The ship’s demise is still under investigation, but it appears that the Bulgaria had at least one underpowered engine, leaving it incapable to counter large waves in the water.  Authorities found the ship’s wheel turned all the way to the right, and the engine set at full power when raised, which serves as an indication that the captain had been trying to steer the Bulgaria into shallower waters. 

In the incident, the ship sank 66 feet in the Volga River and most of the passengers who later died were unable to escape the interior of the vessel as it sank.  Bulgaria’s 122 victims, including 28 children, make the accident Russia’s worse maritime disaster since 1986.

Watch the video below to see the Bulgaria being lifted from the Volga river-bed.