Icon: enlarge
November 1994: The bow hatch of the »Estonia« is lifted from the seabed
Photo: Jaakko Aiikainen / dpa
26 years after the sinking of the »Estonia«, the Swedish government wants to support a new investigation of the shipwreck lying on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
It should be checked how new dives to the wreck could be made legally possible, said Interior Minister Mikael Damberg on Friday.
The Swedish Average Commission had previously asked the government to change the grave peace of the Baltic ferry that sank in 1994.
The Commission, together with its partner authorities in Estonia and Finland, wants to investigate more closely a hole in the hull of the ship, which can be seen on recordings made by documentaries.
That said the head of the authority on Friday at a press conference.
"The government will not lift the tomb," said Interior Minister Damberg now.
"But we will examine how the law can be adapted to allow the investigations." The aim is to implement the changes in the law in the first half of 2021.
The "Estonia" sank on the night of September 28, 1994 with 989 people on board on her way from Tallinn to Stockholm off the southern coast of Finland.
852 people died, the sinking is considered to be the worst shipping disaster in Europe after the Second World War.
Because many of the dead could not be recovered, the wreck is protected as a resting place and must not be visited.
For this the Grave Peace Act would have to be changed.
Estonia announces support
Estonia's head of government, Jüri Ratas, welcomed the decision of the investigative commissions of the three countries.
"I think the Estonia needs further investigation and research because of the documentary we saw this fall," he told Estonian Radio.
However, the entire process must be transparent.
According to Ratas, the government in Tallinn is ready to support the plans with funds, for example.
Why the "Estonia" went under has not yet been clarified with absolute certainty.
According to the official investigation report from 1997, the torn off bow visor was the cause of the sinking.
Survivors and bereaved relatives have long called for investigations to be restarted.
A documentary in September revived calls for an investigation.
With the help of a diving robot, the authors discovered a four-meter hole in the wreck that was previously unknown.
Icon: The mirror
ptz / AFP / dpa
