A fire broke out in the engine room of the Seawind, one of the passenger and cargo ships belonging to Tallink. The ship, built in 1972, was performing the regular route from Turku to Stockholm on Dec. 2. According to Luulea Laane, the spokesman for Tallink, at the moment the fire started the ship was in the area of the Nyhamn lighthouse to the southwest of the Aland archipelago. The crew immediately contacted the rescue center in Turku and took all necessary measures to extinguish the fire. None of the 11 passengers and 28 crew members was injured. A helicopter took all of the passengers to Mariehamn and the ship was towed back to Turku. The reasons for the fire are still unknown. All of the departures of the Seawind are cancelled.
A Finnish hunter has killed a member of his party in a hunt organized by the Juuru Hunting Society. The accident took place in Estonia's Rapla County Nov. 29. Kulli Kivioja, spokeswoman for the Western Regional Prosecutor's Office, confirmed that a 62-year-old Finnish hunter shot a fellow 53-year-old Finnish hunter. According to Kivioja, the hunter attempted to hit a wild dog but instead accidentally shot his countryman, who was at a distance of about 160 meters. "All the people in the hunting party were sober, experts still have to establish whether the hunter who was killed was sober too," said Kivioja. The hunter shot died before arrival of the ambulance. Police suspect the shooter of causing death through carelessness. If found guilty, he can face a prison sentence of up to three years.
The next Independence Day military parade will take place on Feb. 24, 2009, in Peter's Square of Narva. President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that this parade will be the biggest to date. Major Peeter Tali, head of the information department at the defense forces headquarters, said about 60 war machines and 1,200 soldiers will participate in the Independence Day parade in the eastern border city of Narva. At the parade, the defense forces commander intends to display units by companies and batteries. No plans for the flyover of aircraft of the parade, but a platoon-size unit of the Border Guard will march there, said Tali. After the parade, the public will be able to take a closer look at Estonian military technologies.
