Nine killed as boat hits barge on Moscow river

The other seven passengers swam to safety or were rescued as the boat quickly sank.

Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the main investigative agency, laid the blame on the owner and captain of the boat, who was among those killed.

Mr Markin said the owner, Gennady Zinger, had been found in violation of regulations three times in the past, including for exceeding the boat’s maximum capacity of 12. The boat was carrying 16 people when it crashed.

He said investigators have questioned the survivors and also four crew members of the Oka barge who had helped to rescue them.

The survivors included a man identifying himself as a citizen of Turkey and another who said he worked at the US embassy, Mr Markin said..

Crews were working to lift the boat, which was lying on the bottom of the river and underneath the barge.

The Moscow river, which runs past the Kremlin as it makes a large loop through the Russian capital, is plied by a steady stream of freight barges and tour boats on summer days. Private motor boats have become more popular in recent years.