Ribnitz-Damgarten: One dead and eight injured in sports boat accident

On the evening of 17 August, the Ribnitz-Damgarten fire brigade received an emergency call that people were floating in the water. On site, it turned out that two boats had collided not far from the harbour, and other rescue services from the DLRG and fire brigades were alerted on land and at sea.

According to initial findings, a metal fishing boat about 6 metres long and with around 100 hp collided at high speed with the side of a slow or stationary cabin cruiser with a plastic hull. Both the three people in the metal boat and the six people in the vehicle that was hit were injured, some of them seriously. For a 66-year-old woman, all help came too late; she died despite resuscitation attempts.

It is not yet clear exactly how the accident occurred; the public prosecutor's office in Stralsund has initiated an investigation. None of the people involved in the accident are yet fit for questioning. There are indications that the fishing boat was travelling at excessive speed, but alcohol is not believed to have been involved. The other boat may not have been adequately lit. An expert is to clarify the causes, and the 56-year-old driver from Munich of the high-powered metal boat is being investigated for negligent homicide and endangering shipping traffic, according to NDR.

On the pictures of the Ribnitz-Damgarten Volunteer Fire Brigade shows that the plastic boat was hit from the side and large parts of the deck structure were torn off.

Both boats were towed to the harbour in Ribnitz-Damgarten and the material damage is estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 euros.