Enlarge image
Capsized in the collision: The "Karin Høj" from Denmark
Photo: Johan Nilsson / TT / AP
Alcohol consumption may have played a role in the collision of two cargo ships on the Baltic Sea.
Preliminary investigations into possible charges of gross negligence in maritime traffic and serious drunkenness at sea have been initiated, said a representative of the Swedish Coast Guard.
Two seamen are missing after the collision between Ystad in southern Sweden and the Danish island of Bornholm.
The accident happened in the middle of the night south of Sweden, said the Swedish shipping authority.
The "Scot Carrier", a larger freighter from Great Britain, collided with a smaller ship from Denmark, the "Karin Høj", which then capsized.
The crew of the British freighter heard cries for help from the icy cold water, but "found no one."
Search operation with nine ships and helicopters
The Swedish coast guard immediately started a large-scale search in the accident area between the southern tip of Sweden and the Danish island of Bornholm.
Nine ships and a helicopter were involved.
Given a water temperature of four degrees, however, the hope of finding the two missing people still alive fell.
The exact cause of the accident is still unclear.
bbr / AFP / Reuters / AP