On this day in 1994, the MS Estonia, a large passenger and car ferry, sank in the Baltic Sea in one of Europe’s deadliest maritime disasters, killing 852 people.
The German-built ferry was sailing overnight from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, carrying hundreds of passengers and crew. The route was popular, particularly among Swedes travelling to Estonia, which had regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Estonia was a roll-on, roll-off ferry, allowing passengers to drive their vehicles directly onto the vessel. It also featured restaurants, live music and entertainment, making the overnight journey a common form of travel across the Baltic Sea.
An official investigation into the Baltic Sea disaster concluded the bow shield had failed, flooding the car deck. PHOTO/EPA
In the early hours of September 28, the ferry encountered rough seas, with waves estimated at up to 20 feet. Water entered the ship through the bow door and flooded the car deck. The vessel rapidly lost stability and sank in less than an hour.
Many passengers were trapped inside. Others who escaped into the freezing Baltic waters died from drowning or hypothermia. Rescue helicopters later saved 137 survivors.
A joint investigation by Sweden, Finland and Estonia concluded that the disaster was caused by the failure of the bow door in severe weather, allowing water to flood the car deck. However, questions surrounding the sinking persisted, with some relatives and others disputing the official explanation and suggesting that the ship may have suffered damage from a collision or explosion.
The Estonia disaster remains one of the deadliest peacetime maritime accidents in European history. It was followed by other major ferry disasters, including the Bukoba on Lake Victoria in 1996 and Senegal’s Joola ferry in 2002.
The tragedy also ranks among the world’s deadliest passenger-ship disasters. By comparison, the sinking of the
Titanic
in 1912 claimed about 1,500 lives.