Macedonian Transport Minister Offers To Resign Over Deadly Boat Accident in Lake Ohrid

Janakieski has offered to step down due to ethical reasons, the Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

A total of 50 people were rescued after the overloaded boat carrying 73 passengers, including a group of Bulgarian tourists, sank this morning in lake Ohrid, in southwestern Macedonia, state-run news agency MIA (www.mia.com.mk) said earlier.

The accident left five people in serious condition while three are still missing, the agency said.

The Ilinden boat was registered to carry 43 people, but according to initial reports the number of passengers exceeded its capacity, the Ministry said.

Janakieski has offered his condolences to the families of the lake Ohrid accident victims, it added.

Macedonia has declared Sunday a day of national mourning, MIA reported.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov has dispatched the government plane to return the Bulgarian survivors home, the government in Sofia said in a statement posted on its website.

Borisov has been in touch with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski and with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and hopes that the accident victims will be identified as quickly as possible, the statement said.

Monday is declared a day of national mourning in Bulgaria.