Ukrainian officials say 12 people were killed and one has been listed as missing after a passenger boat capsized near the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
The Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said the accident took place near the small town of Bilhorod-Dnistrovkyi, about 40 kilometers southwest of Odesa, at about 4 p.m. local time on October 17.
The ministry added that a preliminary report showed the boat had been overloaded, carrying more than twice as many people as were permitted.
Volodymyr Zhmak, deputy governor of the Odesa region, said the Ivolga passenger boat capsized as a result of stormy weather.
Zhmak said there was not a sufficient number of life jackets on the boat for all 36 passengers on board.
He added that 23 passengers were rescued and the bodies of 12 who drowned have been recovered.
Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president who is now the governor of Odesa Oblast, issued a statement on his Facebook and Twitter accounts that confirmed "some casualties."
Saakashvili described the incident as a “tragedy."
The Interior Ministry says a criminal case on safety violations has been launched.
