Riverboat horror caused by 'drunk captain' kills four and leaves 46 injuired

The passenger vessel veered in front of a barge on the Irtysh River near Omsk. 

'Four people died as a result of the collision, and 46 were injured, of whom 14, including two children, are in a serious condition', said a police source.

Later it was reported six people were missing. 

'A criminal investigation has been opened into the violation of safety rules," said a spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee, equivalent of the FBI.

The captain of the Polesye-8 was being questioned by police and "has obvious signs of alcohol intoxication", reported Itar-Tass.

The horror was on the Irtysh River close to the city of Omsk. 

It is the latest in a succession of boat tragedies in Russia amid concerns over breaches of safety rules. Two years ago 122 people perished when a riverboat sank on the Volga River, and a further 16 after a collision between a boat and a barge on the Moscow River.