Sunday, September 06, 2009 OHRID: An ageing tourist boat sank suddenly in Macedonia's popular Lake Ohrid on Saturday, killing 15 people, mostly Bulgarians, as survivors clung to wooden planks and buoys, officials said. The Iliden was 200 metres (220 yards) from shore when it apparently capsized into the deepest lake in the region -- famous for its turquoise waters -- at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT) near a campground outside Ohrid city. "More than 70 passengers were on the boat," Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska told reporters. "Fifteen perished, four seriously injured were taken to hospital in Ohrid and about 50 survivors are at a local hotel." The captain of the Iliden was among the dead, Jankulovska said, adding that the vessel was carrying "a group of Bulgarian tourists and their Macedonian guide". Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said 12 Bulgarians including a child were among the dead. The three other bodies have yet to be identified. One survivor said the boat sank suddenly and that there were not enough life jackets for everybody. "The boat swerved sharply and capsized. It started to sink instantly and everybody tried to save their lives the way they could," the survivor identified as Ivan told Bulgarian radio."They grabbed wooden planks and life buoys, but there were not enough buoys and not enough life saving jackets for everybody," he said.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
Comments