Boat collision kills two in northwest Germany

The deadly crash took place at 2 a.m. (00:00 UTC) Saturday on the river near the Dutch border, Oldenburg police said.

A 24-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man died in the incident, and six more people were injured. One person is still in critical condition, according to officials.

The two victims were sitting in a motorboat on the Barßeler Tief river when another vessel smashed into their boat side-on. German authorities deployed firefighters and divers to the scene.

Hours after the accident, organizers of the large harbor festival on the Barßeler Tief river announced they would cancel the event that was scheduled to include a series of races through the small town. Some 40,000 visitors had been expected, according to German public broadcaster NDR.

The current heat wave in Germany has caused a spike in drownings and water sport-related incidents as more and more people seek ways to cool down. At least four more people died in separate incidents on Friday, including a 10-month-old baby who drowned near the southwestern town of Mosbach.

The child's mother, an asylum-seeker from Eritrea, attempted to save the child after it fell into the Necker river. The mother, however, was unable to swim and had to be rescued by passers-by.

dj/jlw (AP, dpa)