Russia's sunken cruise ship lifted from Volga River bottom

Russia's ill-fated cruise ship, the Bulgaria, that sank in the Volga River earlier in the month, has been lifted from the thick silt of the river bottom, an official said on Friday. "Specialists have lifted the bow of the vessel. As of now the ship is completely lifted from the silt," operational headquarters spokesman Timur Khikmatov said. Earlier he said that specialists in the operation to raise the Bulgaria resting at a depth of some 20 meters (over 65 feet) lifted the aft end of the vessel. The ship sank on July 10, with the death of at least 114 passengers and crew. Seventy-nine people were rescued. The operation to lift the ship had been postponed several times in the past few days due to difficulties in attaching lifting gear to the vessel's hull and keeping it upright.