The Estonian and Swedish Accident Investigation Commission said on Tuesday that a new research expedition on the wreckage of a ferry that sank in the Baltic Sea 27 years ago did not provide new evidence that contradicts the official accident investigation report.
In one of them The deadliest maritime disaster in Europe in peacetimeOn September 28, 1994, on the way from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, the Estonia sank in rough seas, killing 852 people, most of whom were Swedes and Estonians.
Only 137 people on board survived. The ship’s fate has led to a number of conspiracy theories, including it collided with a submarine, or it was carrying sensitive military cargo that played a role in the sinking.
In 1997, the official joint investigation of Estonia, Finland Sweden concluded that the ferry sank because the bow door lock failed during the storm. This separated the bow door from the ship, opened the ramp to the car deck, and caused the deck to drown, sinking the ship within 30 minutes of the initial distress signal.
However, others questioned this There is increasing evidence that there is a big hole in the ferry.
Rene Arikas, director of the Estonian Security Investigation Agency, presented the preliminary results of underwater robot diving in July, said that the dive showed that the sunken ship did indeed have a hole, about 22 meters long and about 4 meters high. . He said that the sunken ship ran aground on a slope on the seabed, and its original location has changed over the years due to changes in the seabed, making holes and other damage more obvious.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that the researchers had no evidence to prove that the official report on the sinking was incorrect.
The new underwater survey is planned for March to April, when visibility is considered the best, Arikas said.
Jonas Beckstrand, deputy director of the Swedish Accident Investigation Commission, said that the researchers were surprised to find that the seabed was covered with rocks, which was probably the cause of the hole. “We don’t know how this damage [to the vessel] It happened,” Backstrand said, but it probably happened when the ferry fell on the rocky seabed. He said more investigations are needed.
A separate privately funded expedition commissioned by the relatives of the MS Estonia victims conducted a dive in September. The preliminary results are expected to be announced early next year.
The sunken ship is located on the seabed about 80 meters (265 feet) below the surface of the international waters near the Finnish islands. It is considered a cemetery and the area is protected by law.
