9 dead after Russian party boat crashes into moored barge

In the early hours Sunday morning, 16 Russians who were out celebrating a birthday party on the Moscow River, suddenly found themselves fighting for their lives after colliding with a barge.

According to BBC reports, the boat was suspected to be overcrowded and maneuvering erratically at the time of the incident. In three prior occasions, Gennady Zinger, the captain of the boat, had been found in violation of exceeding the boat’s capacity of 12 persons.

Mr. Zinger drowned this morning, along with 8 other passengers.

UPDATE: The barge was moored at the time of the incident.
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Image by Mikhail Metzel / AP