Bulgaria is marking somberly Thursday the 9th anniversary of the tragic death of twelve children in the Lim river in Serbia.

The Veliko Tarnovo metropolitan Grigoriy is serving the memorial mass for them. Another one is taking place in the temple in the Danube city of Svishtov where the children were from.

On the night of April 4, 2004, a group of 34 students and 16 adults from Svishtov was on their way back from a field trip to Dubrovnik. The bus driver lost control on the vehicle, which slipped off the steep road and plunged into the Lim river.

Locals and an entire football team from a nearby town came to the rescue, but their efforts were impeded by the overflowing river. 38 survived; 12 children drowned.

In the tragedy's aftermath, the parents established The Angels of Lim foundation. A monument in their memory, depicting broken angels' wings, was erected on the spot of the crash.

The bus driver was sentenced to 7 years behind bars, which was reduced to 4 years on appeal.