Eleven people died following collision of a catamaran with a cargo barge in the Volga river, about 250 meters from the riverbank, on Monday evening. Five people were rescued, three of whom were hospitalized. Violation of catamaran maneuvering rules due to intoxication is considered the key cause of the accident.
International media report that the operator of the catamaran failed to notice the barge and did not make an attempt to avoid the collision.
According to a latest update by Reuters, Russia’s Investigative Committee said the boat’s captain, who was also the owner of the vessel, was drunk and likely to blame for the crash.
Namely, the captain’s blood alcohol concentration was 2.17 per mille, which corresponds to the medium alcohol content, whereas the high alcohol level starts from 2.5, a local examiner told the Russian news agency TASS.
In addition, the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told TASS that the catamaran did not have required documents and identification lights.
The vessel was also reportedly carrying at least 16 people at the time of the collision, which exceeds the permitted limit, while it had only six life jackets onboard, all of which were unused, the committee added in a statement.
