The Interior Ministry of Macedonia pressed Sunday official criminal charges against Sotir Filevski, owner of the ship that sunk in the Ohrid Lake Saturday, killing 15 Bulgarian tourists.

The 23-year-old Filevski is the owner and the captain of "Ilinden", a German built ship, dating from 1924, used for tours in the lake.

The Interior has also pressed charges against Filevski's assistant captain, Vladko Yustiniatnoski, as accomplice in a serious crime against people safety.

The two were arrested Saturday and were transferred from the Ohrid police headquarters to the Ohrid Main Court to be interrogated by a judge.

Filevski told police that he first heart a loud noise in the back of the ship, and then lost control. He believes a wheel rope had been torn and the ship leaned to the right making water coming in.

"Ilinden" had sunk in just minutes. Filevski and Yustiniatnoski had been rescued and first sent to the hospital.

The investigation is continuing Monday.

A technical malfunction and panic are the most likely causes for the tragic accident, the Macedonian experts reported after their first investigation. They told local media that the ship's rule failed and it began swaying. The inertia made people gather on one side of the deck, making the ship even more unstable.

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