OREANDA-NEWS  According to him, the ship returning from a two-day cruise entered the Kamskoye estuary and had to make a maneuver along the route. But at that time there was a hurricane and a strong roll to starboard, moreover, one engine did not work.

“The equipment on the“ Bulgaria” in whole left much to be desired, take our emergency radio, in the malfunction of the batteries of which they tried to blame me,” recalls Gabidinov.

He tried to establish a connection to call for help, but "everything refused" on the ship.

The former radio operator believes that the situation was aggravated by the behavior of the chief mechanic, who was among the first to flee the Bulgaria, leaving the engine room with open windows. Water began to flow there, so the ship quickly went under the water. The team did not have time to carry out rescue operations and get all the passengers out. In addition, at the most crucial moment, the chief mechanic stopped the engine, although he had no right to do this without the command of the captain. And the captain at that time was on the bridge, drove the "Bulgaria" aground and fell only 40 meters short, Gabidinov said.

On July 10, 2011, the largest disaster in the history of modern Russia occurred on the Volga with the participation of a river passenger ship. During a storm the two-decked cruise ship "Bulgaria" sank. The accident claimed the lives of 122 people, including 28 children, only 79 of the passengers and crew members slept. Five people were responsible for the deaths and were sentenced to terms ranging from 5 to 11 years.