Eleven people have been killed as two boats collided near a Russian city that is hosting the World Cup, emergency officials said.
The accident occurred late on Monday on the Volga River several hundred metres off the shoreline of the city of Volgograd in southern Russia.
Vyacheslav Barkanov, a medical examiner investigating the case, said the captain of the paddleboat was drunk, the state news agency Tass reported.
The statement said 11 people were killed and five were rescued. Authorities have started an investigation into the causes.
Volgograd, a city of about a million people, is hosting World Cup matches including England’s opener against Tunisia on June 18.
