Party boat accident in Berlin leaves 12 injured after roof collapses

Police in Berlin are investigating after 12 people were injured when the roof of a party boat collapsed in the German capital's central Mitte district.

Around 120 people were celebrating on the boat late on Tuesday when the accident occurred, Berlin police said on Wednesday.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, police said.

A witness told the Bild tabloid that partygoers had been sitting on the roof shortly before it collapsed.

"It was a concert on a boat, but you could also sit on the roof," the witness said.

In total, nine women and three men between the ages of 22 and 31 years old were injured. Two of the women were taken to hospital, while several others were treated on site.

Initial reports suggested that up to 30 people might have been hurt in the incident, while police also searched the waters surrounding the boat for casualties.

The accident occurred on the MS Heimatland, an event boat on the River Spree, which flows through the German capital.

The fire brigade said that a large number of its personnel were at the scene at Fischerinsel, part of an island in the Spree.

The northern part of the island forms Berlin's world-famous Museum Island.