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One passenger of Polesye boat that collided with barge on Irtysh River in critical condition

The captain of Polesye has been detained
Screenshot Russia 24
Screenshot Russia 24

OMSK, August 18 (Itar-Tass) - One passenger of the Polesye river vessel that on Saturday collided with a barge on the Irtysh River, remains in critical condition, Health Minister of the Omsk region Andrei Storozhenko told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

According to him, the rest of the severely injured are getting full medical care from the best medics of the region.

Emergency response headquarters for assisting the injured and provision of aid to the families of those killed were established at an emergency meeting of the regional government, which ended on August 17 at around 23:00 p.m., local time. Governor Viktor Nazarov who has urgently returned from vacation heads the headquarters.

The regional head said that all issues related to the funerals of the victims of the catastrophe on the Irtysh River will be handled by the city and regional authorities. On Sunday, measures of financial support and compensation will be determined.

The collision of the Polesye high-speed vessel with a barge occurred on August 17 in the first half of the day at the village of Novaya Stanitsa, about 10 kilometres south of Omsk. According to the Transport Prosecutor’s Office, the boat’s captain who was intoxicated flagrantly violated the navigation rules, giving the helm of the boat with 52 passengers on board to a young motorman, born in 1994. The boat crossed into the fairway with oncoming traffic and at full speed crashed into a barge.

The entire portside of the Polesye boat was twisted in the collision, two-thirds of the vessel sank. Four people died on the spot, and 49 people were taken to emergency hospital No 1, city hospital No 4 and a children’s hospital. Of the 11 seriously injured passengers, two women died by the evening.

The captain of Polesye has been detained. Criminal proceedings have been instituted under Article 263, part 3 of the RF Criminal Code (“Violation of navigation safety rules, resulting in the death of two or more persons”).