MOSCOW, August 10 (RAPSI) – The Commercial Court of the Republic of Karelia has fined the “Park-Hotel “Syamozero”, where 14 children drowned this summer, 200,000 rubles ($3,000), according to the Online Justice web portal.

The court thus granted a lawsuit lodged by the republican Health Ministry demanding to hold the camp administratively liable. According to court records, the ministry’s lawsuit was conditioned by licensing violation committed by the defendant.

Earlier, a case was opened under the Criminal Code’s Article “Fulfillment of Works or Rendering of Services Which Do Not Meet Safety Standards” against the “Park-Hotel” executive Elena Reshetova, her deputy Vadim Vinogradov, instructors Lyudmila Vasilyeva and Regina Ivanova and Valeriy Krupodershikov.

According to investigators, on June 18 children and instructors of the children’s camp “Park-Hotel “Syamozero” were sailing on a raft and two canoes over the lake Syamozero in Karelia. 47 children were accompanied by 4 adults (Vinogradov, Krupodershchikov, Ivanova and Vasilyeva) who did not take gathering storm into account. Storm made sailing extremely dangerous: a raft with children and two adults washed up near one of the islands while both canoes were capsized, leaving passengers in the open waters.

Only some managed to swim across to the shore. According to the latest data of the Investigative Committee, 14 children drowned. Other children survived and were evacuated.