Bulgaria's jet-powered tourist drive

The private plane of Todor Zhivkov, the late Bulgarian communist ruler, was submerged in the Black Sea waters near the city of Varna this week to attract scuba divers and tourists to the sunny coasts of north-eastern Bulgaria.

The Soviet-made Tupolev-154 was grounded in 1999 but once flew with famous passengers such as former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. It was placed at a depth of about 22 metres to form an artificial reef.

Mr Zhivkov, eastern Europe's longest-serving communist leader, ruled Bulgaria for 35 years until the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. He died in 1998.