Eighty people were rescued on July 10 after the Bulgaria, a double-decked river cruiser built in 1955, sank 3 km (2 miles) from shore in a broad stretch of the river in Tatarstan.

Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Dmitry Medvedev that little hope remained of finding survivors.

Medvedev said the sinking would not have happened if safety rules had been observed.

Sixty of the passengers may have been children, Russian media reported, and survivors said 30 children had gathered in a room near the stern of the ship to play just minutes before it sank.

Russia has a history of disasters and deadly accidents stemming from lax implementation of safety rules, from fires to plane crashes and mining disasters.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent his condolences and a day of mourning was declared in Russia on July 12.

The regional Emergencies Ministry said they had brought 58 bodies to the surface, five of whom were children, but divers said they had seen more bodies trapped in the restaurant cabin of the Bulgaria, a 78-meter craft the ministry said was designed for up to 140 passengers.

The boat, which was built in Communist Czechoslovakia, had 208 people on board including 25 unregistered passengers.

*** Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and 30 injured when a Russian plane made an emergency landing on a Siberian river after an engine caught fire on July 11.