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Criminal case opened over riverboat-barge collision

The captain of the passenger ship will have a test for alcohol content in the blood

Photo ITAR-TASS Archive

Photo ITAR-TASS Archive

MOSCOW, August 17 (Itar-Tass) - A criminal case is opened over the collision of a riverboat and a barge on the Irtysh River.

The criminal case is opened by the Russian Investigative Committee's regional transport investigation department on charges of violation of the water transport safety regulations that caused deaths.

According to the preliminary information, the Polesye-8 motor ship and a barge collided at the 1,843rd km of the Irtysh River, ten km away from Omsk, at about 13:20 local time. Four people died and more than 30 were injured, an SK (Investigative Committee) source said.

A group of investigators is working at the site.

The captain of the passenger ship will have a test for alcohol content in the blood. He has obvious signs of alcohol intoxication.

Police and investigators are working with the captains of the two vessels, the press service of the Omsk regional police department told Itar-Tass.

The barge captain will also undergo a medical test.

An investigation is underway to establish the circumstances of the accident.

According to the preliminary information, the captain of the cargo barge did not give the passage to the riverboat, police said.

Senior police officials, investigators, medical teams and rescuers are at the site at present.

The Polesye riverboat on the way from Omsk to Achair and the cargo barge collided at the settlement of Novaya Stanitsa.

According to the updated reports, four people died and more than 40 were injured in the collision. Fourteen, including two children, are in serious condition.

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