11 killed in boat crash ahead of World Cup

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 on the Volga River several hundred metres off the shoreline of the city of Volgograd.

According to emergency officials, a barge pulled by a towboat collided with a paddleboat on Monday carrying 16 people on a sightseeing tour. A news agency said the captain of the paddleboat was drunk. Volgogradis hosting world Cup matches including England’s opener against Tunisia on Monday.

Police from 33 countries are gathering for the World Cup as Russia prepares for potential terrorist acts and feared backlash against local laws restricting LGBT rights. Senior British officer Chief Inspector Joseph Stokoe is taking part amid diplomatic tension, following Britain’s accusation that Russia used a nerve agent in the attempted assassination of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.