Police find body of man who drove car off cliff near Paldiski

Police on Saturday found the body of the driver of the vehicle driven off Pakri Cliff, near the Northwestern Estonian coastal town of Paldiski, and into the sea late on Thursday night.
The search team of the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) returned to the scene of the incident on Saturday morning to search for the person who had gone missing in the crash. At around 9:50 a.m., police found the body of a man on the shore near the scene of the accident.
"Yesterday we searched the coastline near the scene of the crash but did not find the victim," Urmas Tuisk, the chief operations officer on the scene, said on Saturday. "We returned with the search team in the morning to review the coast. The wind and waves had carried the body to the shore."
The body was identified as belonging to a 32-year-old male and owner of the vehicle recovered on Friday.
The search for the missing person at the scene was conducted by forensic experts together with the crew of the PPA vessel EML Kindral Kurvits (PVL-101)
A criminal investigation led by the North District Prosecutor's Office was launched to determine the more exact circumstances of the crash.
Car drives off cliff late Thursday night
Eyewitnesses told emergency services that they saw a car drive off the cliff and fall into the sea in the vicinity of Pakri Lighthouse around midnight on Thursday night. By morning, the vehicle had drifted some 10-15 meters away from the shore.
Police, rescue services and paramedics had been dispatched to the scene immediately, however rescue workers and a helicopter were unable to launch a rescue operation during the night due to strong winds and foggy conditions.
At 10 a.m. on Friday, the PPA vessel EML Kindral Kurvits arrived on the scene carrying divers, who were able to establish that the right side front passenger door of the vehicle was open and that the vehicle had no license plates.
The police have offered condolences to the loved ones of the deceased.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS