An ageing tourist boat sank suddenly in Macedonia's popular Lake Ohrid on Saturday, killing 15 Bulgarians as survivors clung to wooden planks and buoys.
The Iliden was 200m from shore when it apparently capsized into the deepest lake in the region - famous for its turquoise waters - at around 11am near a campsite outside Ohrid city.
"More than 70 passengers were on the boat," Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said."Fifteen perished, four seriously injured were taken to hospital in Ohrid and about 50 survivors are at a local hotel."
The captain of the Iliden was among the dead, Mr Jankulovska said.
"The boat swerved sharply and capsized. It started to sink instantly," a survivor identified as Ivan told Bulgarian national radio."People grabbed wooden planks and life buoys, but there were not enough buoys and not enough life saving jackets for everybody."
He said he held on to a wooden plank while his wife and three other women stayed afloat with a buoy.
Bulgarian officials blamed overcrowding as the likely cause of the disaster.The government has declared a national day of mourning for today.
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