Nine people have been killed in a deadly accident involving a river barge and a motorboat on the Moscow River over the weekend.
The motorboat crashed into a docked barge early Sunday morning. According to Russian authorities, the motorboat was overloaded at the time, with sixteen people on board. All the victims were one the motorboat.
The captain and owner of the boat was also killed in the accident. Russian authorities are now blaming him for the accident. According to them, he had several previous boating safety violations to his credit. One of those violations was operating a boat with more than the maximum allowed passengers on board.
Many of the passengers who survived were helped by the crew members of the barge. Those survivors, the crew members and other witnesses have been investigated by Russian authorities. The motorboat sank to the bottom of the river, and was lifted by a floating crane.
This is the second major maritime disaster in Russia in recent weeks. Three weeks ago, more than 100 people died in a deadly tragedy involving a river cruise boat. The cruise boat which had also been carrying more than its maximum capacity, ran into choppy waters and sank in the Volga River.
Russian authorities have blamed that maritime accident on several violations, including operating a vessel beyond its maximum capacity. Since then, Russian Pres. Dimitry Medyedev has ordered that all passenger vessels in the country be inspected immediately.
The maritime lawyers at Maintenance and Cure represent persons injured in boating accidents and other types of maritime accidents in Texas.
