On June 29th, a tragic incident occurred on the ferry “STENA SPIRIT” crossing the Baltic Sea, resulting in the death of a 7-year-old child and his mother. The child fell into the sea around 4:20 PM, approximately 100km from the Polish coast, from Karlskrona, Sweden, to Gdynia, Poland.
Upon witnessing the child falling into the water, the 36-year-old mother bravely jumped to rescue him. After about an hour, Swedish responders picked up the mother and the child separately from water. Despite immediate efforts to revive them, they could not be saved.
The crew of the Stena Line promptly reported the man-overboard situation, and the Swedish Maritime Administration swiftly responded to the distress call. The rescue effort was bolstered by the participation of multiple vessels and helicopters engaged in a NATO exercise in the vicinity. A helicopter from Poland’s airfield in Darlowo was also dispatched to assist in the rescue operation.
After 59 minutes, a Swedish helicopter located the mother and airlifted her to safety. Sixty-six minutes after falling into the water, the child was found by the Stena Line crew and brought aboard a rescue boat. Both individuals were then transported to a hospital in Karlskrona, as the Swedish Maritime Administration reported.
Immediate resuscitation efforts were initiated but proved unsuccessful. A preliminary investigation has been launched to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident. The police have questioned the ferry’s crew members to reconstruct the sequence of events.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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