9 killed in boat mishap

MOSCOW (AP):

An overloaded motorboat crashed into a docked barge on the Moscow River in pre-dawn darkness Sunday, killing nine of the 16 people on board, officials said. 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.

Markin said the owner, Gennady Zinger, had been found in violation of regulations three times in the past, including 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-5 barge who had helped to rescue them.