Death toll from sunken Russian riverboat rises to 117

The confirmed death toll from the sunken riverboat Bulgaria has risen to 117 people, after the divers discovered three more bodies on the vessel, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Sunday, RIA Novosti reports.

"The bodies of three more people were found. Therefore, the death toll has risen to 117 people," the ministry said.

A spokesman for the regional emergencies center said that the bodies of three women had been recovered from water. They were found on the boat deck, in the shower room and on the upper deck, he said.

"Five people are still missing. We expect to find them on the lower deck," the spokesman said.

The riverboat Bulgaria sank on the Volga River on July 10. There were 201 people aboard the riverboat, 79 people were rescued.