17 years since the Ilinden ferry sank on Ohrid Lake
On 5 September 2009 the Ilinden capsized near the Eleshec campsite; 15 Bulgarian tourists were killed.
Today marks 17 years since the ferry Ilinden sank on Ohrid Lake, a disaster in which 15 Bulgarian tourists lost their lives.
The accident occurred on 5 September 2009 at about 10:30 a.m., when the vessel Ilinden, carrying 57 passengers on the Ohrid–Sveti Naum route, capsized and sank roughly 250 metres from the shore near the Eleshec campsite.
The victims were residents of the Bulgarian municipalities of Anton, Pirdop, Zlatitsa, Mirkovo and Ribaritsa.
Salvage and the wreck's location
The ferry was raised from the lake on 19 September 2009 and towed to the Studenchishta canal. It remains there to this day as a mute witness to the tragedy.
Seventeen years on, the sinking of Ilinden remains one of the deadliest maritime incidents on Ohrid Lake, a somber point in the shared history of the border region.
Photo: press material from the event
