Estonian disaster with 852 dead: documentary film provides new evidence of ferry sinking



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It has been 26 years since the Baltic Sea ferry “Estonia” sank, causing probably the worst European maritime disaster since World War II. Now there should be new evidence in the case: the documentary makers apparently found a four-meter hole in the remains of the sunken “Estonia.”

This was reported by various Scandinavian media on the 26th anniversary of the devastating accident. Estonia called for a new investigation into the sinking.

Also on Monday, the streaming platform Dplay published a corresponding five-part documentary series entitled “Estonia – fyndet som ändrar allt” (Estonia – The Finding That Changes Everything). Consequently, the filmmakers sent a diving robot into the wreck. As the images published by the Swede “Aftonbladet” show, during the starboard action a previously unknown hole four meters high and 1.20 meters wide was discovered in the hull of the ship.

In 2000, an expert report indicated that an explosion could have caused the sinking of “Estonia”.

The “Estonia” sank on the night of September 28, 1994 with 989 people on board on its way from Tallinn to Stockholm. Halfway down the road, the water suddenly entered the boat; exactly how it happened has been debated for years. 852 people died in the devastating accident, including more than 500 Swedes and five Germans.

The bodies were only recovered from 94 dead. Despite promises to the contrary from the Swedish government, the shipwreck never rose. Instead, the ferry was declared a burial place for the remaining victims by law. To date, more than 750 victims lie with the shipwreck off the southern coast of Finland at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas spoke of significant new information given the new underwater recording that had not been previously discussed and required a clear response. “A new technical investigation is needed on the new circumstances of ‘Estonia’,” he said. Estonia would lead the process as the ship’s flag state. Both Ratas and Chancellor Urmas Reinsalu stressed that an investigation would take into account the sepulchral peace imposed on the ferry. “It is our wish that the truth finally comes out,” said Rats.

A joint statement by the Estonian, Finnish and Swedish foreign ministers sounded somewhat more cautious: the new information had been noted and is now being evaluated. But you trust the official investigation report from 1997. According to the report, the ripped bow visor was the cause of the sinking. However, there is still speculation about the cause of the accident, survivors and grieving family members have been calling for the investigations to be restarted for years.

Icon: The mirror

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