Two former managers of a Russian summer camp where 14 children died in a 2016 boat tragedy have been given lengthy prison terms for negligence.
In a March 18 ruling, the Petrozavodsk City Court found former Park Hotel Syamozero camp director Yelena Reshetova and her former deputy Vadim Vinogradov guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced each of them to 9 1/2 years in prison.
Vinogradov had pleaded guilty and Reshetova pleaded not guilty at their trial over the tragedy, which occurred when two boats capsized in bad weather on Lake Syamozero, near the border with Finland, in June 2016.
Anger and dismay over the children's deaths grew into a scandal when it was revealed that the rescue operation began only 18 hours after the boats capsized. Many of the children apparently died of hypothermia from long exposure to the cold water.
Investigations also revealed that the camp's officials allowed the boat trip despite weather and wind warnings.
A former instructor at the camp, Valery Krupnodershchikov, was convicted of leaving people in danger and sentenced to eight months in prison but was freed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Three other defendants in the case were acquitted, and angry relatives of victims said they would appeal those rulings.
In April 2017, an emergency medical worker was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to take seriously an emergency call from a 12-year-old boy seeking help shortly after the two boats were capsized by the storm.
