Russian salvage crews today were continuing to try to raise the wreckage of the a sunken tourist river boat from the Volga River, just over a week after it sank in the republic of Tatarstan with more than 200 people aboard, many of them children.
The operation to lift the sunken ship, which started early on July 17, involves dozens of divers and two giant cranes.
Rescuers have so far retrieved the bodies of 114 people; 15 are still reported missing.
Seventy-nine people aboard the ferry survived the tragedy, Russia’s worst shipping accident in decades.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has blamed safety violations and the greed of local tour operators for the tragedy.
compiled from agency reports