Nine die as overloaded river boat crashes into barge

AN overloaded motor boat crashed into a docked barge on the Moscow River in pre-dawn darkness yesterday, killing nine of the 16 people on board, officials said.

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

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