The Republic of Tatarstan investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have finished investigating a criminal case against captain mate Ramil Khametov, subtenant of Bulgaria Svetlana Inyakina, expert of Russian River Register Yakov Ivashov and two staffers of Federal Service of Transport Supervision Vladislav Semyonov and Irek Timergazeyev. Depending on the role of each one, they are charged with crimes under articles 238, 263, 143, 285 of the RF Criminal Code (rendering services which do not meet standards of safety to lives or health of consumers, violation of rules for operating inner water transport, violation of labor protection rules and abuse of official powers).
According to investigators cumulative actions of the accused caused the Bulgaria cruise ship to sink on 10 July 2011 in Kuybyshevsky reservoir killing 122 people aboard the vessel. Investigators believe that the direct cause of the wreck was unfitness of the vessel to sailing by both technical state and the level of the crew’s training; inobservance of requirements and navigation safety rules, as well as non-discharge or improper discharge of their duties by the ship owner, the crew, officials of supervising bodies and agencies both when the vessel was being prepared for the sailing and during its operation in 2011. The wreck and its consequences were caused by all these factors put together.
There are 90 volumes in the criminal case and more than 200 victims. More than 1,000 witnesses have questioned. More than 250 expert examinations have been run, one of the most difficult of which was a comprehensive navigation and engineering-technical forensic examination which was run from August 2011 to March 2012. It was this examination that defined the suspects.
In addition to prevent such tragedies in future, investigator has submitted corresponding statements to the Russian River Register and Federal Service for Transport Supervision.
During the wreck only 79 passengers and crew members survived. Most certainly the number of the survived could have been higher if not for the deed of captains of dry cargo ship Arbat and tugboat Dunaysky 66 who sailed past the drowning people and did not help them. According to the survivors this crushed their will, they had an impression that nobody cared about them. At present both of the captains are deservingly punished.
Investigators have collected enough evidence and the case has been sent for the indictment to be approved and further to be forwarded to court to be tried on the merits.
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