At least 11 people on a river cruise died after their boat crashed into a barge on the Volga River in the Russian city of Volgograd on Monday.

At least 16 Russians were on the vessel, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, which has opened an investigation into possible breaches of safety regulations.

Emergency services were made aware that the vessels had collided on the Volga River, about 250 meters from the riverbank at around 10 p.m. (1900 GMT).

Five people were rescued and three survivors were in hospital, according to the website of regional governor Andrei Bocharov.

"The rescue operations have just finished. The last body has been recovered and the number of dead is 11," the local emergencies ministry said in a statement quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency.

Russia's Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into the cause of the crash

Potential safety regulation breaches

An unnamed source from the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told Russian news agency TASS that the catamaran was only built to carry 12 people and was unlicensed.

"The catamaran is without documents and without identification lights," the source said.

Another unnamed source from emergency services told TASS that a violation of catamaran manoeuvring rules was being explored as one of main potential causes of the incident.

"According to one of the versions, the master [of the twin-hull ship] could breach maneuvering rules, failed to notice the barge and did not make an attempt to avoid the collision," the source said. He added that other possible causes would be investigated.

Volgograd, known as Stalingrad from 1925-1961, will host World Cup opening round matches including games with England, Tunisia, Nigeria, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Japan and Poland.

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia One of Soviet Russia's greatest World War II triumphs Russia celebrated the 75th anniversary of the defense of Stalingrad on Friday with somber memorials and patriotic military parades. Russian President Vladimir Putin was a highly visible presence throughout the day, laying wreaths, addressing veterans and attending military parades. He is seen here in front of 85-meter The Motherland Calls statue in what is now called Volgograd.

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia Putin calls on Russians to measure up to their ancestors Putin told veterans the Soviet victory at Stalingrad was an inspiration. "The unified resistance and readiness for self-sacrifice were truly undefeatable, incomprehensible and frightening for the enemy," Putin said. "Defenders of Stalingrad have passed a great heritage to us: love for the motherland, readiness to protect its interests and independence, to stand strong in the face of any test."

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia Military parade Official figures said 30,000 spectators watched a military parade through the streets of Volgograd despite sub-zero temperatures. The parade included about 1,500 troops, armored vehicles and jets flying ahead.

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia Armored vehicles The parade featured 75 tanks — one for each year since the victory — as well as an Iskander ballistic missile system and an advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system. Ground forces included T-90 tanks and armored Tigr infantry mobility vehicles.

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia Red Army nostalgia The memorial parade included people (traffic controllers according to some sources) dressed up in Red Army winter uniforms and felt boots. The Soviet Union’s defeat of the Nazis forms a pillar of modern Russian identity and has been increasingly celebrated by Moscow to stoke patriotism. Putin will almost certainly be reelected in presidential elections in two months.

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia Soviet style banners Other displays of communist nostalgia included members of the Yunarmiya (Young Army) military patriotic movement as well as soldiers parading with images of Soviet war heroes and Soviet-style banners.

Russia marks 75th anniversary of Stalingrad with parades and nostalgia A crushing defeat The battle of Stalingrad started in July 1942 and lasted five months and was the bloodiest battle in history. About 2 million soldiers and civilians perished in the fighting there, many from starvation and exposure. The final group of Nazi troops under Marshal Friedrich Paulus finally surrendered on February 2, 1943, in the first surrender by the Nazis since the war began. Author: Alistair Walsh (with AFP, dpa, AP)



law/rc (AFP, Reuters)</s>At least 10 people were killed late on June 11 when two boats collided on Russia's Volga River, Russian news agencies reported.

"Divers have recovered nine bodies - three men and six women," Russian state news agency TASS quoted an emergency services spokesman as saying early on June 12.

One further body was discovered later. TASS reported that five people were rescued after the collision.

The accident occurred on the river near the city of Volgograd when a barge collided with a catamaran.

The cause of the collision was not immediately known.

TASS quoted an emergency services worker as saying that the catamaran, which was carrying 16 people, may not have been following navigation rules or failed to notice the barge and avoid a collision.

TASS also quoted the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport as saying the catamaran did not have required documents and identification lights.

Based on reporting by dpa and TASS</s>The captain, who crashed his twin-hull boat into a barge on the Volga River, was drunk at the time of the deadly accident, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. The man and ten of his passengers died in the crash.

The incident happened late on Monday, with a barge crushing into a twin-hull boat near the river port of the southern city of Volgograd. “It were the actions of the owner of the passenger vessel, who was behind the wheel, that led to the tragedy,” Svetlana Petrenko, Investigative Committee spokeswoman, said.

The captain ignored all light and sound signals coming from the barge before the crash, she said. “Moreover, according to preliminary data of the forensic experts, the owner of the boat was intoxicated,” Petrenko added.

11 people, including a child, were killed in the accident, while five other passengers of the boat were rescued, she said. The twin-hull ship wasn’t properly registered, with its owner lacking papers, required to carry out navigation.

A source in the emergency services earlier told Interfax that the captain of the boat, who was among the fatalities, had been identified as Dmitry Khakhalev, a former head of one of the districts of the Volgograd Region. In 2009, Khakhalev was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of rape, infliction of bodily harm and hooliganism, involving firearms.

In June 2011, Russia was rocked by one of its worst river incidents in decades when 112 people were killed after the 'Bulgaria' pleasure boat sank during a storm on the Volga River in the Republic of Tatarstan.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!</s>MOSCOW: Eleven people were killed in an accident on Russia’s mighty Volga river when a catamaran collided with a barge, emergency services said on Tuesday. Rescue efforts ran through the night after the accident late on Monday near Volgograd in southwest Russia -- one of the cities hosting the World Cup football tournament opening this week. "The rescue operations have just finished. The last body has been recovered and the number of dead is 11," the local emergencies ministry said in a statement quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency. At least 16 people were on the catarmaran, according to a statement from the Investigative Committee which has opened an investigation into possible breaches of safety regulations.</s>The paddleboat collided with a cargo barge in Volgograd, Russia, according to a local emergency service source. The source also said that nine people were unaccounted for, while seven have been rescued.

"According to preliminary data, one died, seven have been rescued," the source reported. "The fate of nine people onboard the paddleboat is still unknown," the source added.</s>"Divers have recovered nine bodies - three men and six women," the TASS news agency quoted an emergency services spokesman as saying early Tuesday.

One further body was discovered later.

The accident occurred on the river near the city of Volgograd when a barge collided with a catamaran.

The cause of the collision was not immediately known.</s>The accident occurred late on Monday on the Volga River several hundred metres off the shoreline of the city of Volgograd in southern Russia.

According to a statement from regional emergency officials, a barge being pulled by a towboat collided with a paddleboat carrying 16 people on a sightseeing tour.

The statement said 11 people were killed and five were rescued. Authorities have started an investigation into the causes.</s>ST. LOUIS - A breakaway barge sunk this morning in St. Louis, forcing closure of the Mississippi River for a six mile stretch. The barge was one of 15 that broke loose from the tow boat of John M. Rivers, owned by Ingram Barge Company of Nashville. Other than the one that sank, the other barges have all been secured. The Coast Guard says the accident happened near the McKinley Bridge. The barge, loaded with corn, sank after striking the bridge. The bridge was not damaged. This is the third time in the past few weeks that a sunken barge has forced closure of the river.</s>Eleven people were killed in an accident on Russia’s Volga River when a catamaran collided with a barge, emergency services said yesterday.

Rescue efforts ran through the night after the accident late Monday near Volgograd. At least 16 people were on the boat, according to the Investigative Committee which has opened an investigation into possible breaches of safety regulations.</s>The owner of a catamaran which crashed into a barge in the Volga river near World Cup host city Volgograd, killing 11 people, was “in a state of intoxication”, investigators have said.

The Investigative Committee of Russia said the sightseeing boat was also not registered and was over capacity when it crashed on Monday.

Rescue services managed to save five of those on board, with three taken to hospital, according to a statement on the regional government’s website.

Workers at the scene of the collision on the Volga River in Volgograd, southern Russia, in which 11 people died when a barge and a sightseeing boat collided (Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations/AP)

England fans are set to descend on Volgograd for the Three Lions’ first match against Tunisia on Monday.

River cruises along the Volga are a popular tourist activity.

But fans may be concerned after investigators said preliminary findings suggested the owner of the catamaran which crashed had ignored light and sound warnings from the cargo ship, allowed 16 passengers to board when the boat had a capacity of 12, and six life jackets were found unused.

The owner of the boat station is being sought by authorities for allowing it to operate on the river, the Investigative Committee statement added.
A collision between a river cruise ship and a barge on Russia's Volga River kills at least 11 people.