A district court in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Volga Republic of Tatarstan, ruled on Wednesday to arrest two suspects in the Bulgaria tour ship tragedy, the Russian Investigation Department said.
The twin-deck riverboat Bulgaria capsized and sank on the Volga River on Sunday. The confirmed death toll from the tragedy rose to 104 on Wednesday, with more than 20 passengers still unaccounted for.
The judge ruled to arrest Yakov Ivashov, a senior expert of the Kama branch of the Russian river fleet regulator, who inspected the ship’s safety before the departure and certified it for further use, and Svetlana Inyakina, general director of the company that rented the cruise boat.
Both face charges of providing unsafe services that resulted in the deaths of two or more people and may be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.