Sweden to re-examine Estonia disaster
Documentary casts doubt on findings of 1997 investigation.
The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority seeks to lift a ban on diving on the wreck of the ill-fated ferry, Estonia, reports the Guardian. The ferry went down en route from Tallinn to Stockholm in the early hours of 28th September 1994 with the tragic loss of 852 lives and was the second-worst shipping disaster involving a European vessel after the Titanic sank in 1912.
The official report stated the ship went to the bottom one hour after it had experienced rough seas that caused her bow doors to open and allow water into her car deck. Only 137 people survived the sinking, and survivors and relatives have long questioned the findings of the 1997 report.
Sweden, Finland, and Estonia signed a treaty in 1995 to designate the wreck a sea grave and forbade any of its citizens to disturb the site by diving or using submersibles. However, a recent documentary film showed underwater footage that revealed a four-metre hole in the ship’s hull. The dive-team now face prosecution, but their discovery has compelled authorities to re-examine the cause of the disaster, as experts say only massive external force could have caused the hole.
