EPA
NOS News•
Investigations into the shipping disaster with the MS Estonia have not revealed a new cause. The ferry sank in 1994 due to a faulty bow door lock, not an explosion or a collision with a submarine, new researchers say in a preliminary conclusion.
The investigation follows the broadcast in 2020 of a TV documentary about the biggest European shipping disaster since World War II. Video footage showed a meter-sized hole on the starboard side of the wreck, which still lies at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
After that, speculation arose that the hole was caused by a collision or an exploded secret military cargo.
EPA
In September 1994 the Estonia was en route from Tallinn to Stockholm in a storm. There were 989 people on board.
“Silja Europa, dit is Estonia. Mayday, mayday… Silja Europa, dit is Estonia”, it sounded at 1:22 am. Due to the failure of the lock, seawater entered the car decks below the ship.
Half an hour after the distress call, the ship disappeared from the radar. 852 people died, 137 people could be picked up from lifeboats.
tilted
In 1997, investigators also came to the conclusion that the disaster must have been caused by a faulty lock.
The hole in the hull was likely caused by the impact on the seafloor, the new researchers say. The hole is now clearly visible, because the wreck has tilted slightly over the years.
The NOS made this retrospective in 2019:
Europe’s largest post-war shipping disaster
