An incident took place on a ferry voyage, resulting in the overboard death of a seven-year-old boy and his mother.
Authorities in Sweden have started investigations into the matter, considering it as a possible homicide case. Oessur Jarleivson Hilduberg, head of the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board, which had jurisdiction over the ship, said: “Our investigation showed quite clearly that it was not an accident.” Polish authorities are calling it the murder of the child and the suicide of the mother.
The probe is aimed at uncovering the specifics of the event that took place during the voyage from Sweden to Poland, says Prosecutor Stina Brindmark. It is reported that the child plummeted from the Stena Spirit ferry, which led his mother, Paulina, to leap into the ocean to attempt to save him. The Swedish Maritime Administration estimates the boy’s fall to have been from a height close to 65 feet. Witnesses are saying that the child, Lech, was possibly disabled and in a wheelchair.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched in response to the horrifying incident, to the distress of the witnesses aboard the ferry. Upon being located and airlifted to a Swedish hospital, both the mother and child were declared dead.
The victims, Polish citizens, were in the water for roughly an hour before they were retrieved. Polish police have confirmed the deaths after failed attempts to resuscitate them.
The incident occurred on the Stena Spirit ferry during its course from Karlskrona, Sweden, to Gdynia, Poland, carrying a total of 310 passengers. Stena Line spokesperson Agnieszka Zembrzycka stated that there is currently no indication of the ferry being faulty, and the company is offering full cooperation with the investigative authorities.
