What happened to the bodies on the Estonia?
Only 93 bodies were ever recovered, the last 18 months later. The 1997 report by an accident investigation committee set up jointly by Estonia, Sweden and Finland concluded that the locks on the bow visor failed, allowing it to tear free and expose the doors and ramp, which gave way, flooding the car deck.
How did the Estonia really sink?
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a joint Swedish-Finnish-Estonian government committee ruled it an accident and blamed it on stormy weather that caused water to pour through an open bow door and into the Estonia’s car deck, destabilizing the ship and capsizing it in less than an hour.
What happened to the Estonia ship that sank?
The vessel was sailing from Estonia to Sweden on 28 September 1994 when it sank in the Baltic Sea off Finland. Most passengers on board the ship were trapped inside after it capsized, but 97, who managed to leave the vessel, died in the water. There were 137 survivors.
Was the Estonia sunk by a submarine?
The 1994 disaster involving the ferry Estonia, in which 852 people died, was probably caused by a collision with a submarine. Following investigations in the past, the official cause of the disaster was that the bow door of the ferry ship had been knocked out by severe weather conditions (storm).
Was the Estonia covered in concrete?
To prevent this the Swedish government with the connivance of the wreck owners10 and the approval of the Finnish and Estonian governments decided that the wreck should be covered with a concrete shield,11 so that it would not be accessible without great difficulty.
Did a submarine hit the Estonia?
How long did it take for the MS Estonia to sink?
between 30 and 40 minutes
The Estonia sank relatively quickly (taking between 30 and 40 minutes), but this still should have been enough time to get everybody off the vessel and onto lifeboats.
How deep was the water where the Estonia sank?
The ship disappeared from the radar screens of other ships at around 01:50, and sank at 59°23′N 21°42′E in international waters, about 22 nmi (41 km) on bearing 157° from Utö island, Finland, to a depth of 74 to 85 m (245 to 280 ft) of water.
How old was AVO piht when he died?
The sombre face and exemplary record belong to Avo Piht, 39 years old, 19 years at sea and, just possibly, the one man still alive who could tell exactly what happened soon after midnight on Tuesday night aboard the Estonia.
What was the search for Captain AVO piht?
These people were seen, registered and spoken to by others including other crew members and hospital personnel. In Captain Avo Piht’s case, he was even filmed and interviewed. Interpol, Europe’s international police force, initiated a search for Avo Piht after Estonia sank.
Who was on the Y-64 helicopter with AVO piht?
Chief among these were one of the ship’s captains, Avo Piht, who was on-board but not on duty that night, and Chief Engineer Lembit Leiger. It is thought that the other seven were crewmembers who had shared the same life raft or been rescued with Piht and Leiger in the same helicopter, Y-64.
How many people are still alive from Estonia?
His desk is stacked with files, each one with a passport-size photograph attached. Of the 140 crew Mr Songi hired to work on the Estonia, most are now dead. Only three of 14 officers are known to have survived.
