Fishing Boat Sinks After Collision, Crew Members Escape
A 30-meter fishing boat, manned by four Estonian fishermen sailing under a Finnish flag, sank after an alleged collision with a Bahamian cargo vessel on October 23. All of the crew members managed to escape the vessel in time.
According to the Estonian Police and Border Guard, the accident took place in the Gulf of Finland about 13 nautical miles north from the Estonian island of Aegna.
"At around 5:20, the Rescue and Coordination Center in Tallinn received a distress signal from a Finnish fishing boat, the Florence, and set out [to find it] together with the coast guards of Finland," said Martin Luige, spokesman for the agency.
Rescuers believe that the thick fog caused the accident, ETV reported.
The center also got in touch with all the vessels located in the region at the time of the accident, yet due to limited visibility, no one seemed to have witnessed the accident or noticed any crew members in distress, said Luige.
A cargo vessel sailing under the Lithuanian flag spotted the missing fishermen floating on a life raft at around 9:00. All four were alive and well.
Ingrid Teesalu