Photos: Second-tier Tallinn court handling Estonia sinking victims case
A new review of the case of the sinking of the MS Estonia began in Tallinn Administrative Court on Tuesday. The primary demand of the plaintiffs in the case is a new dive to the shipwreck.
Tuesday's sitting is dedicated solely to procedural matters; precluded will be matters related to the sinking of the Estonia or anything else related to the vessel itself.
This spring, loved ones in Sweden of victims of the sinking took the Estonian state to court, demanding a new investigation of the catastrophe to claim 852 lives. The claim filed highlighted a slew of conflicts in the official record of the sinking of the Estonia.
Governments have thus far refused to allow a new dive to the shipwreck first and foremost due to the wreck being declared a gravesite and concerns that it would traumatize the loved ones of the victims, the Swedes' complaint has the full support of Memento Mare, an organization representing the loved ones of the Estonian victims of the sinking.
25 years since Estonia tragedy
On Sept. 28, 1994, the ferry Estonia sank while en route from Tallinn to Stockholm, claiming 852 lives. There were only 137 survivors.
The 1,116 survivors and relatives of the deceased had battled for two decades to have their case heard in court; the court finally moved forward with the trial in April.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
