2009 Lake Ohrid boat accident

right|thumb|Approximate location of sinking in Lake Ohrid right|thumb|Ilinden, the boat On 5 September 2009, the Ilinden sightseeing boat with a group of 57 foreign tourists on board, of which 55 were Bulgarian, sank in Lake Ohrid, southwestern Republic of Macedonia. Fifteen people died.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8239659.stm Macedonia boat sinking 'kills 15' 2009-09-05 BBC 2009-09-05http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/09/05/macedonia.boat/index.html 15 dead as Macedonian tour boat sinks 2009-09-05 CNN 2009-09-05Teofilovski Ognen 2009-09-05 Fifteen Bulgarians drowned as Macedonian boat sinks en Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-42243520090905 2021-01-19 The sinking of the Ilinden was the deadliest boat accident in the history of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia).http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.aspx?VestID=113363 Најголема бродска несреќа во Македонија 2009-09-05 A1 Macedonian 2009-09-05 Lake Ohrid is the deepest lake in the Balkans, with maximum depth of 288 m ft.http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=107541 PM: 15 Bulgarians Dead as Boat Sinks in Macedonia Lake 2009-09-05 Sofia News Agency 2009-09-05 The Ilinden boat was taking tourists to the Saint Naum Monastery. The boat, built in 1924,http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.aspx?vestID=113380 "Илинден" произведен 1924 година 2009-09-05 A1 Macedonian 2009-09-05 had a maximum capacity of 45 passengers. It sank within four minutes, some 200 m -2 from the shore, in shallow waters. The boat is said to have sunk around 11:00 AM local time, in the vicinity of the Elešec camping site. Two other boats, the Alexandria and the Kristina, were nearby and were able to assist the passengers of the Ilinden. Most of the tourists on board were senior citizens, many of whom were unable to swim. Victims were from Pirdop, Zlatitsa, Chelopech and particularly Anton.http://news.ibox.bg/news/id_410944344 Кораб с българи потъна в Охридското езеро Виткова Нора Ралица Йорданова 2009-09-05 News.bg Bulgarian 2009-09-05 The Republic of Macedonia's top officials visited the place of the accident. Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov ordered that a Bulgarian government aeroplane bring the surviving Bulgarians back home. Another aeroplane, a Bulgarian Air Force C-27J Spartan, transported the remains of Bulgarian victims. The Minister of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of Macedonia Mile Janakievski offered his resignation over the accident due to moral reasons, Minister of Transport and Communication resigned which was not accepted by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.Macedonian government refuses to accept Janakievski's resignation. SETimes.com, 10 September 2009. Accessed 2009-09-27. Archived 2009-09-30. 6 September was declared a national day of mourning in the Republic of Macedonia. Similarly, 7 September was declared a national day of mourning in Bulgaria and all official events related to the celebration of the Bulgarian unification on 6 September were cancelled. A minute of silence was observed before Macedonia and Bulgaria's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers later on 5 September and against Scotland and Montenegro. A nongovernmental organization, the Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje proposed to Mayor Aleksandar Petreski of Ohrid the erection of a monument commemorating both the victims of the accident and those whose help saved many lives.Further delay for the sunken Ilinden https://web.archive.org/web/20110722215610/http://vesti.alfatv.com.mk/default.aspx?mId=-1&eventId=12896&egId=1 2011-07-22 . ALFA TV, 17 September 2009. (in Macedonian)NGO proposes monument to be erected in memory of Ohrid Lake victims https://web.archive.org/web/20081119193526/http://macedonie.startpagina.nl/nieuws/ 2008-11-19 . Startpagina.nl, 26 September 2009.Monument for the drowned Bulgarians in Ohrid. Forum Biweekly, 26 September 2009. (in Macedonian). Accessed 2009-09-27. Archived 2009-09-30. In November 2020, a monument in Ohrid to the Bulgarian tourists that died on the ship Ilinden was vandalized and destroyed.Вандали разрушиха паметника на българите, загинали на кораба "Илинден" в Охрид - По света и у нас - БНТ Новини https://bntnews.bg/news/vandali-razrushiha-pametnika-na-balgarite-zaginali-na-koraba-ilinden-v-ohrid-1084935news.html 2020-11-27 news.bnt.bg bg On the 28th of November, the mayor of Ohrid, Konstantin Georgieski announced that the plaque had been replaced.2020-11-28 Градот Охрид експресно ја обнови плочата со натписот на спомен обележјето на жртвите од потонувањето на "Илинден" https://www.ohridnews.com/gradot-ohrid-ekspresno-a-obnovi-plochata-so-natpisot-na-spomen-obelezh-eto-na-zhrtvite-od-potonuva-eto-na-ilinden/ 2020-11-29 OhridNews en-US thumb|The Ilinden still unused (2016) References At least 15 die after boat sinks in Macedonian lake 41.083 20.75 title Lake Ohrid boat accident Boat accident Boat accident Boat accident Category:Deaths due to shipwreck Category:Accidental deaths in North Macedonia Category:September 2009 in Europe