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OHRID, Macedonia – An overloaded sightseeing boat carrying dozens of Bulgarian tourists sank Saturday in a lake on Macedonia's western border, and at least 15 people drowned, officials said.
The vessel, called the Ilinden, sank rapidly in just six meters (20 feet) of water in Lake Ohrid, police spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.
Police divers were searching for three missing passengers, Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said. Rescuers pulled 55 survivors from the water, including five who were hospitalized in the town of Ohrid.
At least 15 bodies have been recovered from the lake — the deepest in the Balkans, located along the mountainous border between Macedonia and Albania.
One witness said she and others rushed to the scene in a speedboat.
"The scene was horrible," Gordana Ruvcevska said. "We saw at least 10 bodies floating. We pulled out three survivors."
The 70-year-old boat had a 42-person capacity but was carrying 73, including a group of tourists from Bulgaria, when it split in two and sank about 200 meters (650 feet) from shore, Jankulovska said.
It had been traveling from Ohrid, on the lake's eastern shore, to the medieval Eastern Orthodox monastery complex Sveti Naum about 29 kilometers (18 miles) to the south near the Albanian border, according to Macedonia's private A1 television. Lake Ohrid itself has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1979.
The Macedonian government planned to hold a special meeting Saturday and declared Sunday a day of mourning. Transportation Minister Mile Janakievski offered his resignation.
"This is the worst accident that has ever happened on the Ohrid Lake," police spokesman Stefan Dimoski told The Associated Press.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov planned to visit Macedonia later Saturday, A1 TV reported.
The vessel, called the Ilinden, sank rapidly in just six meters (20 feet) of water in Lake Ohrid, police spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.
Police divers were searching for three missing passengers, Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said. Rescuers pulled 55 survivors from the water, including five who were hospitalized in the town of Ohrid.
At least 15 bodies have been recovered from the lake — the deepest in the Balkans, located along the mountainous border between Macedonia and Albania.
One witness said she and others rushed to the scene in a speedboat.
"The scene was horrible," Gordana Ruvcevska said. "We saw at least 10 bodies floating. We pulled out three survivors."
The 70-year-old boat had a 42-person capacity but was carrying 73, including a group of tourists from Bulgaria, when it split in two and sank about 200 meters (650 feet) from shore, Jankulovska said.
It had been traveling from Ohrid, on the lake's eastern shore, to the medieval Eastern Orthodox monastery complex Sveti Naum about 29 kilometers (18 miles) to the south near the Albanian border, according to Macedonia's private A1 television. Lake Ohrid itself has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1979.
The Macedonian government planned to hold a special meeting Saturday and declared Sunday a day of mourning. Transportation Minister Mile Janakievski offered his resignation.
"This is the worst accident that has ever happened on the Ohrid Lake," police spokesman Stefan Dimoski told The Associated Press.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov planned to visit Macedonia later Saturday, A1 TV reported.