Up to 100 people are missing after a tourist boat sank in a broad stretch of Russia's Volga river, killing at least one person, emergency services officials said.
One body was recovered and 84 people were rescued by a passing craft after a two-deck river cruiser, believed to have been carrying 182 people, sank in the Tatarstan region, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said.
Two of those saved were hospitalised and a rescue team and a helicopter searched for survivors, she said.
The boat was heading to the regional capital, Kazan, when it sank about 3km from shore in 20 metres of water, the ministry's regional branch said.
There were 125 passengers, 22 crew and 35 other staff aboard the boat.
Cruises on the Volga, which cuts through the heart of Russia and drains into the Caspian Sea, are popular among Russians as well as foreigners.
It was unclear whether the ‘Bulgaria’, which state TV said has dozens of cabins and two restaurants, was on a one-day outing or a longer cruise.
